Dusks & Ladders
by aliciousness
Summary: "I'm going to make you see that love is just a game; that love is easy. When I'm through with you, you'll never have to cry over a guy ever again." -S x K
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Greetings, fellow KH lovers! I'm aliciousness, and this is my first KH fanfic that I'm posting. I sincerely hope that you'll enjoy the following material.

**Disclaimer: **The following story is a work of fan fiction. The author does not, in any way, own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. Other names, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, other stories, locale, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

* * *

**DUSKS & LADDERS**

"People always think that the most painful thing is losing the one you love in your life. The truth is… the most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that _you_ are special, too." –Unknown

**one**

.

.

.

_A new game is placed on the table._

_A new beginning._

_You roll the dice. It lands on one._

_Move up one space._

_._

_._

_._

Kairi takes a deep breath as she musters the courage to knock on the door.

She twiddles her thumbs and rocks back and forth on her heels as she waits for someone to answer the door. After thirty seconds, she receives no answer. She knocks again with slightly more urgency; still no answer. Before her knuckles can make contact with the wooden surface once more, the door swings open, and a half-naked young woman scurries out. She desperately tries to clothe herself as she approaches the elevator, and she enters as soon as it comes.

Kairi only watches with her jaw agape, unsure of what to make of the situation. Did she have the right address? She briefly checks the sticky note in her jacket pocket. Yes, this was the correct address indeed.

She raps her knuckles against the door again, though with more caution. A young man no older than twenty-three suddenly stomps down the spiral staircase wearing nothing but a pair of navy blue sweatpants and an irritated look on his face.

Kairi feels her cheeks heat up. It seems that her cousin Naminé failed to mention that her potential future housemate was _fine as fuck._

"What are you still doing here? I thought you left," he grumbles while scratching the back of his head. His hair is a complete mess and he seems to be squinting. Kairi checks her watch. It is two thirty in the afternoon, and he seriously just woke up.

"_Naminé, I don't think living with your ex-boyfriend is the best solution for me. He _is_ a guy, after all. He might… try things, or worse: I'll remind him of you, and everything will just get extremely awkward."_

"_It won't. Trust me on this, Kairi. He's actually a really nice guy."_

"I, uh… I was never here," Kairi says timidly. Her potential housemate raises a suspicious eyebrow at her. She merely clears her throat and tries to stand straighter to show confidence. "I'm Kairi. Kairi Hart." No reaction. "I think, or, I hope, that Naminé told you I was coming?"

The attractive young man looks at the ceiling as if expecting it to give him an answer, a reminder, _anything_.

Then it clicks.

"_Please, Sora. She really needs a place to stay and you _know_ she can't stay with me and Roxas. That would just be awkward."_

"_Sorry, Nams, but I think I'll pass on this one."_

"_Sora, you don't understand. She really needs this, and you've had that huge loft all to yourself for far too long. Don't you think it's time for a house mate? All this alone time isn't very good for you."_

"_How would you know?"_

"_Because despite what you think, I still care about you."_

"…"

"_Come on, Sora. This will be good for you."_

"…"

"_Her name is Kairi. She's my cousin. I think you'll really like her."_

"_Nam-"_

"_For me, then. Please. Do this for me."_

"…"

"…"

"_Fine, for you."_

"Oh," is all Sora can muster when he returns to reality. "Well, this has been sufficiently awkward," he admits shamelessly. "Just let me change, and I'll be right with you in a moment. Feel free to wait in the living room until I get back."

"O-okay," Kairi stammers, thoroughly impressed with his sudden change in tone. As he walks back up the spiral staircase with calmer strides, she walks into the open living room and takes a seat on one of the leather couches. While she waits for Sora to return, she decides that it is a good time to admire the downtown loft that could be her home someday.

Because the wall was composed of a large, two-floor window on one end, it contained a spectacular view of New Twilight –the downtown of Twilight Town that always hustled and bustled with life. The high ceiling made everything feel airy and spacious, and the combination of red brick walls and hardwood floors complimented each other extremely well. The staircase and fence separating the second floor from the living room was made of adamantite steel, the finest steel that existed, and the furniture chosen was both futuristic and artsy. It was no doubt that Naminé was the interior designer of the two-storey masterpiece, and it was because of her talents that the loft became one of magnificence and class.

Kairi briefly wonders how Sora can afford such a place on his own.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he suddenly apologizes, pulling her back from her from her reverie. He walks back down the steps dressed in business casual attire and a fresh face. His hair, however, remains an untamable but stylish mess.

He walks over to her with a friendly smile on his face and offers his hand like a true executive. "It appears I haven't formally introduced myself yet. Sora Fair."

"Kairi Hart," she repeats, standing to shake his hand.

"Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Tea, maybe?" he offers.

Kairi shakes her head. Then, in an amused voice she says, "This is a really nice place you've got here. Are you sure you won't mind sharing it?"

Sora thinks back to his conversation with Naminé and inwardly sighs.

"I don't mind. I think living with someone will be a nice change." He is lying through his teeth and he knows it. "I've got to make use of all this extra room somehow, right?"

"Mm," Kairi agrees, walking around with her hands behind her back. She observes the house a little more, critically analyzing things here and there. The kitchen is to the far right and contains what appears to be the finest looking appliances that munny could buy. To the left is a small home theatre and, as a guess, doors to the bathroom and laundry room.

"Can I look upstairs?" Kairi asks. Sora merely presents it to her with over exaggerated arm movements.

The second floor wasn't that different from the first, but there were more paintings on the wall (by Naminé, no doubt). It may have been half the size of the first floor, but it had more rooms than Kairi had expected. It had enough room for an office, a workout room, two personal bathrooms, and two bedrooms; one of which could belong to her.

"Is this the guest room?" Kairi asks. Sora nods.

Kairi proceeds in sliding the door to the side, revealing a room that is fairly small, but more than adequate for her needs. It contained a twin sized bed, a nightstand, a work desk, a cabinet, an empty bookshelf, and a small walk-in closet. Two walls were made of brick, the other painted purple, and the other made entirely of glass.

"If it gets too bright in the morning you could always do this." Sora snaps his fingers and the panels of the glass flip over until they are all tinted. Kairi walks towards the middle of the room in awe and snaps her fingers for a complete view of New Twilight. It isn't the technology that fascinates her, but the scenery.

"So what do you think?" Sora asks as he leans against the doorframe.

"How much per month?" Kairi asks.

As Sora gives her the details required, Kairi places the palm of her hand against the window and looks outside. The city certainly looked spectacular, and Sora did seem like a hospitable young man (despite the young woman that scurried out earlier; that was admittedly sketchy), the air smelt of promise, and best of all:

She was far, far,_ far_ away from home.

Her decision didn't take much thought.

"I'll take it."

**tbc  
**

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the first installment of "Dusks & Ladders". I apologize for any grammatical errors that I've missed. Please kindly leave a review to tell me what you think, and I'll start on the second chapter as soon as I can!**


	2. Chapter 2

**two**

_._

_._

_._

_The dice lands on two._

_Move up two spaces. _

_You land on a dusk._

_Go back three spaces._

.

.

.

Sora avoided her for the first month.

And the month after that.

And the month after _that_.

He was well aware that he was being rude, but he couldn't help it. He knew his housemate and Naminé were related, but he didn't think they'd look so… _alike_. The resemblance was too much to bear (although Naminé admittedly looked more… elegant. From what he had gathered, Kairi's closet consisted only of oversized shirts and sweatpants), so for the time being he decided to keep ignoring her like always.

Besides, all Naminé asked of him was to let her cousin live with him. She never said anything about _interacting _with her.

"Mornin'."

Sora can already tell by Axel's tone that this isn't going to be a conversation that he'd enjoy having. Although, he does have to admit that his fellow co-worker was clever in his choice of location. There is no way he can escape the elevator before hearing what the older man had to say.

"What?" Sora asks, already irritated. Axel merely grins.

Much like himself, Axel Flamen was a great asset to the military division of Caelum Industries. He was, by far, the best at using the weapon model known as "the chakram", which was fitting since he was the one who designed it. But apart from work, Axel was one of the few friends that actually understood (and followed) Sora's philosophy. They both shared the "we're young, so we might as well attain as much bodily pleasures as we can" attitude, but there is one thing about Axel that bothers Sora greatly.

He is the best of friend of Sora's twin brother Roxas.

"So…" Axel raises his eyebrows suggestively with a sly smirk. "When do we get to meet your new fuck buddy –I mean housemate?"

Sora narrows his eyes.

"Never," he spits harshly.

"Oh come on now," Axel whines. "Spill the deets. Is she at least any good? What's she into? Cowgirl? Reverse cowgirl? Or maybe she's more into missionary…"

Sora closes his eyes and begins rubbing his temple in annoyance.

"No. I wouldn't know, and I never will know," the younger man answers.

Axel inhales sharply and rakes a hand through his fiery red spikes. "Oh, she's playing hard to get, huh?"

Sora resists the urge to face palm himself. "No, you twit. Think logically. I can't try anything with her. I _live_ with her, so I'd have to see her _every day_. That means that if anything happens between us, I'd actually have to _commit_."

Since Axel is well aware of Sora's commitment issues, he decides to say nothing to remain unbiased. Sora is silently grateful about this decision.

When the elevator doors part, the secretary already has her hands authoritatively placed on her hips as if she'd been expecting them. On her golden nametag, the name _Larxene_ is engraved in bold Times New Roman font; the same name that belongs to Axel's on and off girlfriend.

"Hey babe," Axel greets, leaning in for a quick peck.

She immediately pushes him away without losing the rhythm of her stiletto heels tapping against the marble floor. Sora mentally notes that it is an off day for them.

"Do you boneheads know what time it is?" she asks incredulously.

"Sexy time?" Axel guesses, trying to lighten the mood. He then notices the absence of workers wandering the hallways. The floor seems completely abandoned. He gulps.

Sora quickly glances at his Rolex. "It's 9:04."

"Exactly," Larxene deadpans. "You were supposed to be in the meeting room five minutes ago at the absolute latest."

Sora and Axel curse under their breath as they run down the hallway.

* * *

Kairi sighs heavily as she unlocks the door to her new home.

Her new home.

Regardless of the tangible, visible things like the bills (augh, the _bills_); Kairi still can't bring herself to mentally and spiritually believe that this, this loft here, is her new home. It had been nearly three months since she'd moved to New Twilight, and she'd moved hoping that she'd have a different, better, _happier_ life, but she _knows_ that she is off to a very, _very_ slow start.

She is currently unemployed, a bit of a loner, and spends her days sitting around eating sea-salt ice cream as life happens all around her.

The sound of movement suddenly distracts Kairi from her depressing thoughts.

At first, she thinks she might be hallucinating, but her ears perk upward when she hears it again.

The sound of creaking wood.

She glances at the wall clock. It is ten thirty in the morning. Sora is usually gone by eight, and his "lady friends" are out of the door by nine. Who could still be here?

Fearing the worst, Kairi tiptoes to the kitchen, sets her ice cream down on the island, and retrieves an unused frying pan from the stove. As quietly as she can, she walks up the spiral staircase and listens for the creaking again. Upon closer inspection, she realizes that the creaking is coming from _her_ room: not Sora's, not the bathroom, but _her_ room. She gulps and shakily makes her way to her room.

Who –or _what_—was she going to face in there? A kleptomaniac? A stray, rabid moogle? A_ ghost_? Kairi steps into her room and raises her frying pan. She is physically poised to attack, but scared shitless mentally.

She cranes her head to the side and is pleasantly surprised to find a girl around her age, if not a year or two older inside. She is dressed in a simple black beanie, black hoodie, and black pants (the freaking _uniform_ for a burglar), and she has short, stylish jet-black hair that only few with the right bone structure could pull off. She was one of the rare exceptions that could pull off this hairstyle.

However, the most important detail is this: she is going through Kairi's closet.

The girl senses Kairi's presence and turns to face her with an emotionless expression. She is not scared, alert, or guilty. She's just a pretty little thing with a kind looking face. A kind _confused_ looking face.

_Naminé?_ the pretty little intruder thinks as she looks at the red haired lady.

Kairi screams and swings her frying pan in the petite girl's direction. The girl is quick and ducks so fast that Kairi barely sees her move. With one swift movement, the girl manages to take the pan from Kairi's hands and holds her wrist in place. Kairi squirms, but for such a small thing, this thief certainly has a firm grip.

"Please calm down," says the housebreaker. Kairi merely continues to struggle against her grasp. "Contrary to what you may think, I'm not here to steal your things."

"Then why are you looking through my closet?" Kairi cries.

"To check if someone else other than Sora lives here," the intruder answers swiftly. Kairi stops struggling and looks the girl right in her bright blue eyes. It doesn't take much effort; they are practically the same height.

"You… you know Sora?" Kairi asks timidly. Knowing this makes her feel slightly relieved.

The girl withdraws her hand from Kairi's wrists and offers it to her in a friendly manner.

"I'm Xion," she says.

* * *

Five minutes later Xion finds herself cooking breakfast alongside Kairi, whom she offered to cook breakfast for after scaring the wits out of her. Although the redhead was quite hesitant at first, she finally gave in and took a chance. Was she really going to pass up the opportunity to make an a friend?

In the kitchen, Xion goes straight to work. Bowls in the top left cabinet. Whisk and cutting knife in the right drawer. Cutting board on the bottom right cabinet, eggs and vegetables in the fridge, etcetera. She knows this place well. She's been here before –countless times, she may add.

Kairi seems to notice this as well because she suddenly asks, "So um, how do you know Sora?"

"I'm a good friend of his," Xion answers as she cracks two eggs and puts them in a bowl. "I'm practically his little sister. I live right next door with my sister Yuffie in 16B. I come here maybe once or twice a month to check on him, but when he's not around I clean the place up sometimes. When I have time I might make him something to eat, too."

"That's so nice of you," Kairi says, "but isn't he old enough to take care of himself?"

Xion almost laughs. Sora may be twenty-three, but his maturity could still use some work after a certain incident.

"Kind of, but there's no harm in a helping hand," Xion decides to say as she mixes the bowl's contents with a whisk. Kairi then washes her hands beside her and starts cutting up some vegetables.

"What about you?" Xion suddenly asks. "He never told me he was living with someone. How do you know him?"

And how could he not tell her about this new housemate? She knew he was hesitant to share some things after "the incident", but this? This was _gold_. Was he actually committing to another human being other than himself this time, or was this girl just desperate enough to become his long-term sex slave? Xion mentally scratches out the latter as an option. It was disrespectful… and downright cray.

"I actually just moved here," Kairi answers as she pours the chopped vegetables into a separate bowl. "And to be wholeheartedly honest, I actually don't know him," Kairi adds sheepishly.

_Oh ho ho,_ Xion thinks. Possibility number two is actually starting to look _possible_, but this girl doesn't seem like the type. She can cook, she's alert, she can carry out a conversation without sounding like a total snob, and she's cute. She's not another airhead supermodel from Caelum Industries in a slutty dress and six inch heels. She seems like the long-term relationship type. A keeper.

How did Sora manage to snag this one?

"For reasons that I'm still trying to figure out myself, my cousin Naminé thought that it would be a good idea if I moved in with him," Kairi explains, "but he's not exactly home most of the time, and when he is, he's very… evasive."

Xion chuckles and shakes her head disapprovingly. Of _course_ Sora was going to be evasive with his new housemate looking like _that_. Cousins? She and Naminé could be _twins_ for crying out loud.

"But perhaps this is what Naminé intended," Kairi mumbles sullenly, completely unaware that Xion could still hear her.

"Don't take it personally," Xion advises as she turns on the stove. "Sora's beauty and the beast: completely in love with himself. His motto is literally '_Fuck bitches, get munny'_."

Kairi chuckles and begins to gather the unused equipment for washing.

"Does he always-"Kairi doesn't get a chance to finish her question. Xion already knows she's referring to Sora's "lady friends."

"Yeah," the dark haired girl answers with a smirk. Kairi shakes her head with disapproval.

The girls spend the remainder of the morning in a comfortable silence as they finish making their meal, and in ten minutes time, they sit across from each other in the dining room eating their omelettes du fromage with bacon on the side.

"So what do you do, Xion?" Kairi asks as she drinks her paopu juice with satisfaction.

Xion takes a bite of her omelette, excuses herself, and then says, "I'm a romance novelist."

Kairi beams excitedly. "No way! I'm into writing, too, and I love romance novels! Have you published anything yet?"

"As of late, I've had one book published and I'm currently working on something right now," Xion informs.

"That's so exciting," Kairi says, and the sparkle in her eyes tells Xion that her admiration is genuine. "I've always respected writers. They always seem to have the ability to find the words that you can't say, and they can move you with what once was a blank document. I find that so inspiring." She then looks at little Xion and beams at her. "You must be really good. Successful writers are so hard to come by in the city. You'll have to let me read your work sometime."

"Sure thing," Xion promises with a smile. Sora better get his shit together because he is _missing out._ "What about you, Kairi? You're new here. How are you finding Twilight Town so far?"

"It's all right," Kairi admits brazenly. "The house is very nice, but I'm starting to get tired of it after being locked inside for three months."

"Well, you don't _have _to lock yourself inside," Xion points out whilst raising her fork.

"I don't really have a choice," Kairi mumbles with slumped shoulders, and Xion gets the hint.

The black haired ninja places her utensils down and sighs heavily. "You don't have a job, do you?" Kairi freezes, but luckily for her, Xion senses her discomfort immediately. "Don't feel bad, Kairi. This is New Twilight. It's extremely hard for newcomers to find a job in the first five months, and from my personal experience, it's even harder for writers. The companies here like to look for someone with experience, someone who's seen a lot of things, so I suggest getting to know the city a little better and finding a job that will make you stand out. This is completely normal, so don't beat yourself up for it. It took me six months to find my first job, and that was only with the help of Sora's brother."

Kairi, who feels slightly better, looks up at Xion with hopeful indigo eyes.

"We've all been there," Xion assures whilst raising her glass of paopu juice. "And trust me when I say that it will all be okay in the end."

Kairi smiles and raises her glass as well. "I'll take your word for it."

When they finish the remainder of their drinks, Xion is the first to speak up.

"I actually have to meet with my publisher in an hour," Xion says as she gets up from her seat. "So if you'll excuse me."

"Oh, of course," Kairi says in an understanding tone. She leads Xion to the door and opens it for her with a slight bow.

"It was really nice meeting you, Kairi," Xion says on her way out the door. "It's so nice to have a conversation with someone who's actually… fully clothed."

Kairi almost laughs. "You get used to it after a while."

"And I'm so sorry our first encounter had to be like this," Xion adds guiltily. "I really didn't mean to snoop through your things. I was just so shocked that Sora was living with a decent human being!"

"It's okay," Kairi chuckles. "It was very nice meeting you too, Xion."

Her neighbour leans against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "So I guess I'll see you around?"

Kairi nods, and then adds jokingly, "Most likely. I'm here all week. _Badoom tch_."

Xion lets out a laugh as the door closes, but it is a pity laugh. She knows Kairi is broken inside. She knows, because she sees herself within her. She was there not too long ago, and she would give _anything_ back then for help. Kairi needed a helping hand –a push, and Xion wanted to contribute to that push, because that's what Roxas did back then. He pushed her in the right direction, and she was extremely grateful for his kindness regardless of the events that followed.

So without further ado, she fishes her phone out of her pocket and makes a very important phone call.

* * *

"You can't avoid her forever, you know."

Sora doesn't bother looking up from the blueprints that he is currently examining. He already knows whom the deep, mysterious voice belongs to. Instead, he chooses to look outside the glass walls. The dark shade of the sky outside suggests that it is slightly past midnight.

_Perfect_, he thinks. Kari –or was it Kairi? –should be asleep by now.

"I can, and I intend on continuing to do so," Sora says with determination. He continues to avoid eye contact with his lifelong best friend.

"Until when?" his companions asks while placing a pale hand on the edge of the drafting table. "She _lives_ with you, Sora. You're bound to run into her sometime whether you like it or not, so you might as well get used to her company."

"I don't want her company," Sora admits. It sounded less harsh in his head.

"Why? Because she looks like-"

"Riku." His name becomes a warning.

The older man sighs. "Does it not bother you that you feel uncomfortable living in your own home? And do you even consider how that poor girl must feel? Naminé told me a few things about her. She just graduated from Radiant Garden University after majoring in Journalism for four years. New Twilight is a big city, Sora. She's probably having a hard time finding a job all on her own. You could _easily_ give her one."

Sora tries not to let his guilt show. He's a helpful person by nature, but he can't even look the girl in the eye. The first time he saw her, his vision was (thankfully) hazy due to his overconsumption of elixir the night prior. The second time, she moved in. He thought his eyes had been deceiving him when she looked up at him with those blue, blue eyes, but it wasn't a hoax. She was the spitting image of… of…

"She's not like her," Riku reminds softly. It wasn't hard to figure out what –or who- his troubled best friend was thinking about. He practically wore his heart on his sleeve. "She's an entirely different person on the inside. You don't have to be friends, and you certainly don't have to date her. (Sora snorted at this.) Just give her a chance."

Sora sighs heavily and begins to roll up the blueprints for packing. After bidding Riku farewell, he leaves the office wordlessly and sits in his car in the parking lot for a good five minutes while raking a hand through his messy locks. After his little episode of contemplation, he starts the engine, pulls the parking break, and hits the gas pedal.

The drive home is one filled with guilt and frustration.

**tbc**

* * *

**Phew, that took me a little longer than I thought. I woke up sick this morning and have been bedridden for the last 17 hours, lol. However, my mom did bring me some green dragon sushi, so there's a bit of a silver lining! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter, nonetheless. **

**I chose to make Xion and Kairi writers simply because they struck me as the type to cherish moments through words. There's just something I find so sincere and touching about their characters (: Also, I may post some songs in the author's notes that inspire me throughout the later chapters, so stay tuned for a soundtrack!**

**Special thanks to **Amulet Misty** for reviewing the last chapter and for those who put this story on alert! Once again, please kindly leave a review to give me your opinion on the story, and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can!**


	3. Chapter 3

**three**

.

.

.

_The dice lands on three._

_Move up three spaces._

_Ladder._

_Move up five more spaces._

.

.

.

Sora sighs heavily as he parks his red Bugatti in its usual parking space. He exits the scissor doors with style and, with a simple click of a button, locks all the doors before entering the sushi bar.

Atlantica was a well-known Japanese restaurant in the upper district of New Twilight that housed the rich and famous. With its brilliant and modern architecture, neon lighting, and mouthwatering –although admittedly overpriced- delicacies, Atlantica became one of the most successful eateries in town and a usual lunch spot for Sora and his co-workers.

The young executive entered the bar with a sullen expression on his face. For the first time since her arrival, Riku had randomly thrown his roommate into a conversation, and with it, guilt. Since then, he finds himself asking questions that he would normally ask if he actually _cared_ about someone. He finds himself asking things like: is she warming up to her new life? Is she safe? Is she even _home_? Is she… happy?

The sight of the maître d waving a manicured hand in his face distracts him from his current thoughts.

"Mr. Fair? Hello? Are you all right?" she asks.

Sora shakes himself out of his trance and gives the maitre d a charming smile.

"I'm fine, Yuna," he assures. "Just a little stressed."

"Well then I hope a nice meal will do you good," Yuna says while bowing respectfully.

She turns to lead him to where his friends are presumably seated. As she walks in front of him, Sora keeps his eyes on what the hem of her rather short kimono is secretly presenting to him from behind. He purses his lips and shifts his gaze onto something else. Yuna is the girlfriend of his good friend Tidus, and although he likes to fool around, Sora doesn't fool around with taken women despite their offers.

"Hey, Sora!" a chipper voice calls out.

Sora turns to the source of the voice and sees one of his older brothers waving at him from a booth in the corner. Sora is very fond of his brother Ventus' happy go lucky and optimistic personality, but it is his appearance that ticks him off almost instantly. He is the spitting image of Roxas, who shares the same facial features and blond, unkempt hair as him. Their only major difference was their height, but apart from that, they might have looked more like twins than Sora and Roxas did.

"Hey, Ven," Sora greets as he sits next to him. He avoids as much eye contact as possible and keeps his eyes on Riku and Axel, who are seated across from them with menus in hand.

"Hey," Riku greets while adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses. He orders on behalf of all of them, because he knows what all their usuals are after many years of green dragon rolls, shrimp tempuras, salmon roses, and friendship.

As Yuna leaves with their menus to punch in their orders, Axel speaks up excitedly. "So, did you guys hear? My little brother just moved into his new university dorm in Radiant Garden, can you believe it?"

"Little Lea?" Ventus asks, surprised. "I've known him since he was just a little tyke. He's already in university? Man, time flies."

"I know, right?" Axel says, agreeing.

"How's he finding the university experience so far?" Riku asks as Yuna sets down four steaming bowls of miso soup.

Axel rudely answers in the middle of drinking his bowl. "He's all right. You know him. He's probably partying it up and whatnot."

"I wonder who he got that from," Ventus snickers as he picks up his bowl.

Axel points his chopsticks at the older employee accusingly. "Hey, for the record, I may have goofed around in university, but I worked my ass off to get to where I am now, got it memorized?"

Riku closes his eyes and smirks. "Yes, Axel. We have it memorized, and we're all very proud of you."

Axel disregards his sarcasm and continues his story. "Anyways, Lea's not too crazy about the payments right now, but at least he's showing some interest in his program. He called me last night complaining about his first essay worth forty-five percent and I just laughed at him and started calling him really inappropriate names and…"

Axel's obnoxiously loud voice begins to drift away as Sora loses himself in his thoughts. He recalls his red haired friend bringing up payments, and he can't help but think of his red haired roommate. How was she managing her payments? Was she struggling to pay the bills? Was she even employed? Or perhaps she came from a wealthy family back home and didn't need to worry about monetary issues?

"Sora."

The distracted young man blinks twice to snap out of his trance. In front of him is his best friend with a blank expression on his face and his head slightly cocked to the side –his own personal way of showing concern.

"Are you okay?" he asks as Yuna places a basket of shrimp tempura in the center of the table. "You're unusually quiet," he points out knowingly.

Sora leans into his palm and closes his eyes with a slight frown. Riku had actually managed to make him _worry_ for once, and he doesn't like it. He doesn't like it one bit.

* * *

Slightly later that afternoon, Kairi walks into a café around the corner of her residence building called "The Usual Spot" to meet Naminé for coffee. When she walks inside, the smell of coffee beans and vanilla fills her nostrils and she finds herself sighing in delight. The café, though small, is intimate and welcoming. A young woman with healthy brown hair tied into two perfect braids greets her with a menu in hand. She has the kind of smile that lights up the place, the kind that a love struck teenager wears despite her age. She must have been around Kairi's age or older if anything.

"Good afternoon!" she greets with verve. "How may I help you? Would you like me to find you a seat or would you like take out for today?"

"I'm actually meeting someone," Kairi answers timidly. "Naminé Caelum?"

"Oh, you must be Naminé's cousin!" the young lady shrieks excitedly. "Kairi Hart, right? I'm so glad that we finally get to meet. I'm Olette Duhamel." She outstretches her hand and Kairi shakes it with a small smile.

"So you and Naminé know each other?" Kairi asks as Olette leads her to a booth by the windows.

"She and my friend Pence work together, and she's a very loyal and valuable customer of _The Usual Spot_," Olette explains. "She's such a talented little thing, isn't she?" Kairi can't help but nod. Her cousin was quite the artist. "She just went to the bathroom, but she should be back any minute now. Can I get you anything while you wait? A glass of water perhaps?"

"I'm good," Kairi insists as she sets her purse down on the table. Just as she is about to take her seat, her cousin walks in with her typical grace, elegance, and class.

Naminé Caelum had one of those faces that you couldn't help but look twice at when you first lay eyes on her. Her light skin was untainted and flawless, her facial features cute and refreshing, her blonde hair soft and bouncy, and her glassy blue eyes sincere. There always seemed to be an angelic light that radiated from her tiny figure, and it wasn't just because of the sunlight seeping through the windows.

She is dressed in a white blouse and a blue high waisted skirt that flows flirtatiously past her waist. A slim belt tied around her waist brings out the curves in her petite body and her expensive looking open toed sandals reveal a very well done pedicure. A Serah Farron original is slung across her shoulder, and it is the cutest little shoulder bag that Kairi has ever laid eyes upon.

Whoever her boyfriend was –Roxas, was it?- treated her _well_.

"Kairi!" Naminé exclaims with her arms outstretched. She pulls her red haired cousin into a bone-crushing hug and squeezes her with all her might –which isn't much, because Naminé is so petite. "I see you've met Olette," she says as she pulls away.

"I have," Kairi says, pointing out the obvious.

"I just attended her wedding a few months ago," Naminé mentions with a wink. "She and her husband Hayner are the cutest couple I've ever seen."

"Oh," Kairi musters. That explained the love struck smile and healthy glow. "Congratulations."

A blush slowly makes its way onto the newlywed's face as she places the girls' menus on the small table. "Thank you. I'll be back when you two are ready to order."

When the two cousins take their seats, Naminé sighs in exasperation and leans her head back. "I'm terribly sorry I haven't been able to visit you since you arrived at the airport. It's been a little busy."

"It's okay," Kairi says, but in all honesty, she would've appreciated the company of a relative in a place so far away from home. E-mails could only get you so far.

"So how are you finding the big, scary city?" the artist asks dramatically.

"It could be better," Kairi confesses as she looks through the selections. It all looked so delicious. "Things are a little slow for me, but I've been assured that this is normal for newcomers. Things will escalate soon enough."

Naminé raises a knowing eyebrow as she sips her water. "Have you made any friends?"

"One so far," says Kairi. "Her name is Xion Kisaragi. Maybe you know her. She said that she's good friends with Sora."

Kairi notices her blonde haired cousin tense slightly before smiling warmly.

"Xion's a very nice and… understanding person," Naminé says carefully. "She's a great friend, and she's a writer, too, so I figured you'd get along. Have you met anyone else? How are your living conditions?"

"I haven't really met anyone worth mentioning, and the loft is very nice. I know for a fact that you had a hand in designing the place, so great job," Kairi compliments. When Olette returns to take their orders and leaves, she and Naminé resume their personal conversation.

"So how's Sora?" Naminé asks. Her eyes light up with what almost looks like hope.

"I wouldn't know. I rarely see him," Kairi says, and she sees her cousin's shoulders slump. "It don't mind it too much," Kairi then says, feeling the need to assure her cousin that everything is all right. "I think I understand why you chose him, though."

"Oh?" Naminé asks, but it's a rhetorical question. She nods and gestures for Kairi to continue so that she can test her reasoning.

"At first I thought asking me to live with your ex-boyfriend was a little insensitive of you in a way because having one of his ex's relatives live with him might bring back some unwanted memories, but I've seen what he's like. He likes to fool around. He doesn't want to commit, and in a way that gives me peace and quiet, so thank you in that respect."

Naminé leans into her palm and smiles sadly. It is her way of telling Kairi that she's wrong. "You know, he wasn't always like that. He was the kind of guy that was so optimistic and self-assured that nothing could taint his good character, but it's not my story to tell." Then Naminé has a look on her face, but not just any look. It is _the _look: the look that says that she is part of the tale somehow. "He's still the same in some ways, but in plenty of ways, he's also different, and I feel like you're the one that can bring that side of him back and make him even better than before."

"Nams, the guy won't even _look _at me," Kairi points out sullenly as Olette serves them their respective orders.

"He's a little overwhelmed," Naminé admits as she sips on her cup of tea, "so just give him some time, and don't be afraid to give him a chance. I know he'll be good for you, too. I know what both of you are like, and your personalities and previous experiences will form a great friendship."

Kairi sighs as she picks up her paopu macchiato. "I sincerely doubt it, but we'll see." After drinking in a rather awkward silence, Kairi lightheartedly asks, "So, what exactly have you been so busy with that you couldn't spare half an hour with your favourite cousin?"

The motion Naminé makes with her eyes is so small, but so _noticeable_.

Her eyes briefly glance at something on her left hand, and on her ring finger is an actual _ring_.

A_ shiny ass _engagement ring.

Like _hot damn_, that is a nice ring.

"What the _fuck_, Naminé!" Kairi exclaims in pure shock. Thankfully, there weren't that many people in the café to notice her over dramatic behaviour.

"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" the newcomer asks as she feels her cousin's soft, pale hand to test the existence of _the precious_.

"How long have you been wearing that… that… that _thing_?" Kairi asks, demanding an answer.

"Almost a month now," Naminé answers, trying to sound nonchalant.

"A month!" Kairi repeats incredulously.

"I wanted to tell you in person when I got the chance," the artist explains with a chuckle.

"So how'd he do it?" Kairi asks, eyes twinkling with wonder and excitement.

"It wasn't anything too extravagant or fancy," Naminé warns beforehand. "So don't expect a flash mob in Disneyworld or anything. As the art director of Caelum Industries' magazine, it's my job to look over the final products, so I was just skimming through the latest edition and suddenly found an ad that didn't quite belong. It was a picture of Roxas –proposing."

Kairi squeals with delight and takes her cousin's hands in hers. "I know this is such a stereotypical and girly thing to do, but this is so exciting! Have you started planning yet? Have you selected a venue? Have you gathered all your bridesmaids and whatnot? Who's the lucky maid of honour? Have you started searching for _the dress_?"

Naminé raises her hands in surrender but is delighted to see how enthusiastic her cousin is about the situation. "Whoa, slow down. Rox and I are still trying to sort things out. But as for the maid of honour…" Naminé looks Kairi right in the eye and squeezes her hands tightly in return. "I know that you just moved here, and I know that this might be a bit of a hassle for you with everything that you're still trying to piece together, but if it isn't too much trouble (and I'd totally understand if you refuse)… would you be my maid of honour, Kairi?"

"Are you _serious_?" Kairi asks, clearly flabbergasted. "I'd be your maid of honour even if I broke both my arms and legs!" She then begins to rap her knuckles against the wooden table vigorously. "Let's just hope that doesn't happen, though. But in all seriousness, thank you. This is such a great _honour_," Kairi adds while winking and elbowing Naminé gently.

"That was lame and you know it," Naminé says with a laugh. Her phone suddenly begins to vibrate, and she answers it with an excited smile.

There is no doubt about it –it is her _fiancé_ on the phone.

Kairi focuses on finishing her drink simply because the couple's conversation is not her business and decides to turn her attention onto Olette instead. She is discussing something with a young man on the other side of the counter, also clad in the same green apron as she. He has a bit of a baby face and is slightly on the lanky side, but Kairi still considers him handsome. His gelled back dirty blond hair gives him a certain character.

Judging by his golden nametag, his name is Hayner, and he leans his elbows on the counter and rests his chin on his palms. He looks up at Olette with admiration, and it is excruciatingly obvious: he is Olette's husband, and he is undoubtedly in love with her.

Kairi sits back, crosses her arms, and frowns. New Twilight was the biggest (not to mention unkindest) city known to man. No one offers to hold the door for you, people on the subway shove you, and almost everyone is driven by time. Everyone has somewhere to be and everyone has a schedule to follow, and love is rarely part of it. There is no room for love in a city so large and fast paced.

But that doesn't seem to be the case. Olette and Naminé were roughly her age, and one was already married, the other engaged. Kairi, when she comes to think about it, realizes that she hasn't even_ met_ any guys apart from her 'not even in the house' housemate. She suddenly feels bitter and insecure, but desperately tries to talk herself out of it.

_No, Kairi,_ she tells herself. _You're not that girl anymore._ _You don't need someone to be happy. This is a new city, a new you. Move on._

Kairi snaps out of her trance when she sees Naminé put her phone back in her purse.

"Roxas just told me that our meeting has been moved to half an hour from now," says Naminé. "He'll be here to pick me up any minute now. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Kairi says as she fishes through her coin purse for change. "So when do I get to meet this Roxas guy? You're _marrying _him and your maid of honour hasn't even seen him!"

"I told you he was out of town when you arrived at the airport," Naminé reminds while chuckling at her cousin's excitement. "It's one of his job requirements. And you can meet him now, actually. He just arrived," the artist adds when she receives a text. "You'll have to be quick, though, but I promise that you'll get to see him more often after today-"

"Oh, just let me meet this bitch," Kairi demands lightheartedly. She exits the café while handing Olette the payment for her beverage. Olette bids both the girls farewell and watches as they approach a familiar black car parked just outside.

As Naminé leads her to the classy black Jetta, Kairi briefly wonders what kind of guy Roxas is. Naminé always described him as self-assured and sweet, and for as long as she can remember, Naminé has always been a passionate artist, so perhaps Roxas was an artist as well? She begins to picture a lanky, but tall young man dressed in a long sleeved shirt rolled to his elbows, dark skinny jeans, hipster glasses, a beret, and hey, maybe even a goatee, who knows?

Whoever he was, he must've been great if Naminé's dad, Noctis Lucis Caelum, the freaking _CEO_ of Caelum Industries, highly approved.

Suddenly the door on the driver's side opens, and Kairi nearly falls over in shock. The young man that walks out is _completely_ different from what she just imagined. His blond hair is stylishly unkempt and he's fairly thin, but undoubtedly fit. He is dressed in beige chinos, a white button up, a fashionable black blazer, a red tie, and checkered Vans that pretty much ruin the business casual look, but he remains insanely handsome, nonetheless. Something about him seems familiar, but his Armani sunglasses cover so much of his face that Kairi can't quite pinpoint what exactly it is about him that is so familiar.

He walks up to his fiancée and sneakily snakes an arm around her waist to pull her to him. She squeaks as he quickly presses his lips to her cheek, to which she says "nice shoes" with a giggle.

He merely chuckles, kisses her forehead, and says, "I'm not in the office right now, so does it really matter?" He then turns to face Kairi with a smile.

As he outstretches his hand, he pulls off his sunglasses, and suddenly everything starts to make sense.

The first thing Kairi sees in blue –the exact same blue that she recalls seeing three months ago when she first stepped into her new home. It is the same ocean-y hue that belongs to Sora, and she _knows_ this despite not seeing him for quite some time. It is a shade of blue that is difficult to forget.

And the facial features –_goodness_, the facial features. The wide eyes, cute button nose, boyish smirk… if it weren't for Roxas' sunset coloured hair, she probably wouldn't be able to tell the two boys apart.

"Hi," he greets with a smooth voice, and it takes a few seconds for Kairi to accept his firm handshake. "I'm Roxas Fair, Naminé's _fiancé_." He suddenly grins like a schoolboy that just received a package of sea-salt ice cream. "Sorry, I just never get used to saying that. You must be the famous Kairi Hart. I've heard so much about you. It's so nice to finally meet Néné's maid of honour."

"It's certainly nice to meet you too, Roxas," Kairi says after a few moments of contemplation. Fair. That was Sora's last name, wasn't it?

"I wish we could stay longer and chat, but I'm afraid that Néné and I have a meeting with someone for a potential reception venue in a few minutes," Roxas says with a sheepish grin.

"That's fine, we can talk some other time," Kairi says.

"Of course. Dinner sometime, perhaps? I'll pay," Roxas offers.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Kairi says timidly.

"I insist," Roxas says firmly. "Consider it my apology for not being here to pick you up at the airport."

"You don't even have to worry about that!" Kairi exclaims. "Please, there must be _something_ I can do for you in return."

Roxas chuckles sexily and begins to walk away with Naminé under his arm. "See you around, Kairi."

"I'll call you!" she hears Naminé say.

In a gentlemanly manner, Roxas opens the door for his blonde haired companion, waves at Kairi one last time, and makes his way around the car. He stops in front of his door for quite some time and stares at his reflection. His eyes harden and there is a stoic expression his face. After some time, he slowly looks up, his expression softening as he looks at Kairi who is still standing in front of the café.

"There is one… teensy little thing you can do," he begins anxiously.

Kairi nods to tell him that she is listening.

"Take care of my brother," he says, and then he gets in the car and drives off with Naminé waving goodbye from the passenger's seat.

* * *

Kairi enters the lobby of her residence building feeling slightly more knowledgeable than before. The situation now seemed blatantly obvious: Naminé dated Sora, then dated Sora's twin brother Roxas. However, something must have happened in between to make Sora the way he was now, but that story wasn't going to be easily obtained. It would take time, she noted.

She thinks about this up until she reaches the elevator, and she is so immersed in her own thoughts that she barely hears a familiar voice call her name numerous times from afar. A Chuck Taylor comes in between the elevator doors just as they are about to close, and when they open, they reveal little Xion, breathless.

"Oh, Xion, sorry," Kairi apologizes, snapping out of her thoughts. "What's up?"

"I think," she wheezes, holding on the side of the elevator for support, "that I know someone that might be hiring."

**tbc**

* * *

**I was originally supposed to update tomorrow, but I realized that my classes end late on Tuesdays this semester, so I may not get the opportunity to. Instead, I decided to finish this chapter today in relaxation as I lay in bed, recovering and drinking some Cinnamon Heart tea (: I hope you enjoyed the third chapter of "Dusks & Ladders"!**

**Special thanks to** taccheggialo** and **SoraxKairi7** for reviewing the last chapter and for those who have decided to put this story on alert! Please kindly leave a review to tell me what you think so far, I'm sorry for any grammatical errors, and I'll get on the fourth chapter asap!**


	4. Chapter 4

**four**

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.

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_The dice lands on four._

_You land on a ladder again._

_Move up four more spaces._

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Kairi answers the door with an excited smile gracing her lips.

Xion cocks her head to the side with a slight grin as she takes in Kairi's outfit: tight fitting black pants and a simple white golf shirt. "Off to work?"

Kairi beams at her friend as she walks inside. "Yes. Thank you so much again for hooking me up with this job, Xi. I owe you one."

Xion raises a hand in mock disapproval. "Gurl, don't even go there. It's my pleasure." She then walks into the kitchen and places a large Tupperware near the edge of the island counter.

"What's that?" Kairi asks as she holds a hairpin in between her teeth.

"Spaghetti and meatballs."

"Can Sora even eat that much?" Kairi asks as she ties her hair into a high ponytail.

"I have no doubt in my mind that he can, but I made it for the both of you," Xion confesses sweetly.

Kairi places her hands over her heart and sighs in delight. "You are too sweet, Xion. I bet it's delicious."

"Oh, you," she says, playfully pushing away the air in front of her. As Kairi continues to get ready for her first day, Xion takes a seat on one of the stools by the island. "So have you spoken to Sora yet?"

"No," Kairi admits sullenly as she slings a small bag over her shoulder. "He hasn't made any progress with me at all."

"Then perhaps it is you who should make progress and interact with him," Xion suggests. She then snaps her fingers for dramatic effect. "Because you are an independent woman who don't need no man's cowardice," she adds sassily.

Kairi chuckles and shakes her head as she takes one last look at the mirror in the living room. "I don't know, Xi…"

"Just give him a chance," Xion pleads. "I promise you that his friendship is worth it. It may not seem like it right now, but it will be."

"We'll see," Kairi says, giving her the same answer she'd given Naminé, because that's all she can promise, really.

"That's good enough for me," Xion says with a satisfactory smile. She watches as Kairi picks up a pair of large, thick-rimmed glasses from the living room coffee table. They look like they are far too big for her face, but they actually look quite stylish.

"So I met Sora's brother last week," Kairi says as she wipes the lenses with the hem of her shirt.

"Which one?" Xion asks.

Kairi raises a confused eyebrow in her direction. "He has more than one brother?"

"He has three, actually," Xion informs, "and they're all older than him. The first set of twins include Ventus and Vanitas, and they're three years older than Sora. Then there's Roxas, Sora's twin brother, who is older than him by ten minutes. Which one did you meet?"

"Roxas," Kairi answers. "He seems really nice."

She briefly sees Xion stiffen and bite her lip.

"I was afraid you'd say that," she admits, but it was inevitable. Roxas _is_ the fiancé of her cousin, after all. "Note: Roxas is the one you _don't_ want to bring up when conversing with Sora."

"I figured as much," Kairi says as she puts on her glasses. She turns to Xion for approval, and she doesn't look half bad –in fact, she doesn't look bad at all. "I ran out of contacts," Kairi admits with shame, "so I'm stuck with these for now… do I look weird? Be brutally honest."

"No, it's cute. It looks… quirky," Xion admits carefully. Then adds, "in a good way" for good measure.

"Really?" Kairi asks, second-guessing herself as she looks into the mirror for the last time -or so she claims.

"Kairi, you look fine," Xion assures while checking the time on the kitchen wall clock. "Now go, you don't want to be late. It takes at least fifteen minutes to get from Sunset Hill station to Wayfinder via subway."

Kairi nods in agreement and adjusts her bag one last time before walking towards the door. She trusts Xion enough to be alone in the house. Her hand just touches the doorknob when Xion calls her name again.

"Oh, and Kairi," Xion says as she pulls something out of her purse. She tosses something in Kairi's direction and the newcomer manages to catch it in the clumsiest way possible. "Something to read on the subway," Xion explains.

Kairi looks down at the paperback book and lights up.

"_Icing on the Cake"_ by XIV; Xion's pseudonym.

* * *

If there's one thing Riku hates, it's mornings –_Monday_ mornings, to be specific.

He sighs tiredly as he exits his apartment building. He adjusts the messenger bag slung across his shoulder and casually throws his hands into the pockets of his dark grey blazer. He walks down his usual path, passing by the same kids that play hopscotch on the sidewalk and the same snooty fashion girls that hail cabs for work, and walks to the only place that can make his mornings:

The Usual Spot.

A steaming cup of their black coffee is all it takes.

One _sip_ makes his life worthwhile.

He lets out a sound of relief as he enters the modest little café and waits at the end of the line until it is his turn. Five minutes pass and he begins to grow anxious.

Work starts in ten, and service is unusually slow today.

After four more minutes, he begins to panic a little. Now the girl in front of him is ordering, but she is taking too long. He frowns in irritation.

"Can I get something started for you, Riku?" the barista asks with a kind smile on her somewhat tired face. How she manages to remain so patient and calm in the mornings is beyond him.

"Just the usual, Olette," he says, bringing out his wallet from the right side pocket of his oddly coloured chinos. He tries to hand her the appropriate amount of munny, but the poor girl in front of him is still rummaging through her coin purse for spare change. Riku checks his watch and sighs.

"I'll just pay for her," he says, and he gets on his tippy toes to hand Olette a bill worth a larger amount over the counter. The girl in front suddenly freezes and turns to look at Riku with a semi-shocked expression.

He suddenly feels his previous irritation wash away.

The girl in front of him is not drop dead gorgeous like the girls Sora brings home, but she's cute and has a certain character. Her frizzy red hair is tied into a high ponytail (a look that he's always found attractive when pulled off effortlessly), her thick framed glasses cover most of her face in an adorable fashion, and although her outfit is simple, it brings out her petite figure fairly well.

He is not awestruck, per se, but _fascinated_. He's never seen a girl like this wander the streets of the upper district before.

"Are you serious?" she suddenly asks. Riku finds himself nodding. "Well, thank you so much! I'm very grateful, uh…"

"Riku," he says while outstretching his hand and checking his watch simultaneously. He gulps. "Masamune Riku."

"Thanks, Riku," she says while tucking some red hair behind her ear. "I'm-"

"Hey, what's the hold up here?" a gruff, impatient voice asks from the back of the line. "Some of us are trying to get our morning started, so can you _please_ cut the chitchat?"

"Oh, s-sorry," the red haired girl stammers in embarrassment. She grabs her drink, and when she turns to find the handsome young man with the luscious silver locks, pastel yellow dress shirt, sleek black tie, grey blazer, and purple grey chinos, he is already done.

"I'm-"she stops her introduction mid-way when she realizes that he is nowhere in sight. "Kairi…" she finishes, her voice barely over a whisper.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Sora finds himself in his office, desperately searching through blueprints on his numerous work desks. He growls in frustration when he, after twenty minutes, _still_ can't find the specific document he's looking for.

He suddenly hears a knock on the door.

"Come in," he says, but it does not sound welcoming in the least bit.

Riku pokes his head through the door cautiously before entering Sora's sorry excuse for an office. He dodges countless supplies and folders on the floor before finding his best friend buried in a pile of blueprints.

"I know I've said this countless times already, but, _dude_," Riku starts, "you seriously need to get more organized."

Sora pokes his head out of the pile and narrows his eyes at the silver haired man. "For the record, my office is _perfectly_ fine. Look how comfortable I am in this pile of oversized paper."

"You know, instead of getting some _ass_, maybe you should get yourself an _ass_istant to help you sort things out," Riku suggests as he attempts to fish his best friend out of the mess.

"I can manage," Sora insists as Riku brings him to his feet. The younger man picks up a specific blueprint and thoroughly examines it. "So this week's presentation is in… Midgar, and I'm demonstrating the Fenrir?"

Riku shakes his head. "No, that's next week."

"Then it's…" he shuffles through another group of blueprints. "Radiant Garden with the X-blade?"

"No, that's next month," Riku chortles, though he's beginning to feel slightly more concerned about his best friend's lack of organization.

"Then what the hell are we doing this week?" Sora asks impatiently.

Riku sighs as he explains that their next presentation is going to be in their very own headquarters. Sora is to demonstrate two new keyblade models to the Guardian Corps of Bodhum called the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion, designed by the one and only Roxas Fair.

Sora cringes at the mention of his twin brother. He then attempts to find the blueprints for these weapons in a defeated silence. Riku, who does not, in any way, embrace this silence, shakes his head in disapproval. He recalls the days when Roxas and Sora would barge into his own office, unannounced, bickering about such childish and trivial things like ice cream and Nutella recipes. Sometimes, when he was particularly keen, he could even hear them through the glass walls of Roxas' office, which was on the _other side_ of the floor. Riku would serve as the twins' mediator, and back then, he absolutely despised it because it distracted him from work.

Now, he craves that bickering more than ever.

"Hey Riku, what's the date today?" Sora suddenly asks amidst the nostalgic silence.

"August 25th," he answers after briefly glancing at his phone.

"Monday?"

"The last Monday of the month," Riku informs, and he immediately knows what is going through Sora's head. He sighs and leans against the edge of one of Sora's work desks. He really needed to get that boy a calendar, but he'd probably lose it within a week's time.

"Time, please," Sora demands hastily as he searches his pockets for his car keys.

"5:14 post meridium," Riku answers while crossing his arms in amusement.

Sora curses under his breath and attempts to stack some nearby documents into a neat pile, only to have Riku slap his arms away after thirty seconds.

"I'll do it, just start the car already," he orders, and Sora happily complies.

He runs out of his office and into the hallway where workers are already conversing and ready to head home. He runs past them despite their greetings and makes a beeline for the elevator. While he waits for the doors to arrive, the secretary, Larxene, snickers at him from her desk.

"You're late," she teases in a singsong voice.

"I know," Sora growls. He enters the elevator without bothering to look back.

The ride down is agonizingly slow, so when the doors finally open, he bursts through them and makes a mad dash for his red Bugatti, which is easy to locate because of its bold colour. He hops into the driver's seat, pulls out of the parking lot, and drives to the front of the building where Riku is already waiting for him, messenger bag strapped on and everything. He gets in the car wordlessly and remains silent as Sora speeds off towards the lower district of Twilight Town with dubstep blaring from his speakers.

A civilian that occasionally follows the speed limit should get to the border of the lower district in about twenty-five minutes, but it takes Sora only eight. The buildings immediately get smaller, the roads dirtier, and the atmosphere duller.

Sora reaches his destination and skillfully parallel parks his car in front of a cute little flower shop called "The Pink Ribbon". The name is slightly beginning to fade due to the chipping paint, but it remains readable, nonetheless.

Sora's mother has been the owner of the shop years before he was even born, and when Sora and Roxas both landed jobs in Caelum Industries alongside their older brothers, Aerith demanded that her "baby boys" visit her every month in rotation despite their busy schedules.

Ventus, the eldest, visits on the first Monday of the month. Vanitas, on the second. Roxas, the third, and her baby, Sora, on the final Monday.

Sora hurriedly gets out of the car and makes his way to the door with Riku in tow until his eyes land on something that doesn't look quite right. He knows this place, and he knows this place well enough to know that _something _is out of place upon first glance. Through the window of the flower shop is a girl –a girl that he, for a fact, _knows_ isn't his mother, because he knows this girl. He has her red hair, blue eyes, and painfully familiar face engraved in his memory.

Kairi.

But what was she doing _here_, in the lower district, so far away from home?

_Oh no_, he thinks. He takes in the green apron tied around her waist and the oversized rubber gloves on her hands. _No_.

Out of all the stores in the upper, middle, and lower districts of Twilight Town, she just _had _to work at the one that belonged to his mother?

_Abort mission,_ he says as he backs away from the door. Luckily, Kairi is too preoccupied with tending to the flowers that she does not notice his retreating figure. _Abort mission!_

He crashes into Riku's rock hard chest just as he's about to run.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks firmly, crossing his arms for authoritative effect.

Sora frantically searches the area for somewhere to hide. A fire hydrant, a light post, a _garbage can_ –anything that could conceal them from Kairi's line of sight. Sora's eyes excitedly land on a nearby alleyway. He grabs Riku's wrist and drags him into said alleyway for some _Heart to Hart_ conversation.

"Wait, Sora," Riku pleads as they enter the abandoned alleyway filled with debris. "Before you do anything, can you excuse me while I _get my rape whistle from the car_?"

Sora merely leans against the brick wall and crosses his arms with an anxious expression.

"What's up with you?" Riku asks, noticing his friend's obvious discomfort.

"She _works _there," Sora answers as if it were the end of the world.

"Really?" Riku asks, intrigued. He walks to edge of the alleyway and sneaks a peek through the windows of the flower shop. His eyes widen at the familiar sight.

It is the same girl that he bought coffee for this morning.

He presses his back against the wall of the alleyway again, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He never did get her name.

What an interesting twist of fate this was.

"So what should I tell my mom?" he hears Sora say a few feet away. He already has his phone out and has numerous excuses at the ready.

Riku scowls at his best friend's behaviour and confiscates his phone within the blink of an eye. In all honesty, he didn't see _that_ much of a resemblance between Kairi and Naminé. Kairi looked like she had a completely different character to offer –something he admired upon seeing her for the first time.

"Quit being a coward, Sora," Riku scolds. "You're acting like a little boy. Man up and talk to the poor girl. You've left her alone for far too long. Would it really kill you to exchange a few words with her?"

"Yes, it would," Sora says through gritted teeth.

Riku narrows his eyes at him, and that's when the younger man sees it.

"Oh my gosh," Sora says in realization. "You've met her before."

Riku feels a slight tint in his cheeks before shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Yes, you have," Sora continues. He pushes himself off the wall in amusement and disbelief. "And what's worse is that you… you… you _like_ her."

Riku frowns at Sora's false accusations.

"I haven't met her, not really," he explains. "I just bought coffee for her this morning because she was taking too long at the counter. I didn't even get her name."

"So it was a love at first sight kinda thing," Sora says, continuing to be ridiculous in Riku's opinion.

"No, will you stop it?" Riku asks, irritated. "She just seems different. She's not at all like _her_, you know. I can tell by the way that she carries herself. She has something else to offer, Sora, and that something might be good for you if you just give her a chance."

Sora huffs like a child and remains silent.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" the older man asks. "It's been over three months since she came here, and she's still around despite your terrible hospitality. What does that tell you about her?"

"That she's stupid," Sora mumbles.

"No, it tells you that she's determined to stay," Riku explains. "She's not going anywhere, Sora, so you might as well accept it and talk to her. Just because she _looks_ like her doesn't mean she _is_ her."

Sora sighs and rubs his temples in annoyance. He suddenly recalls his first year of university, when he and Riku shared the same Calculus I class under Professor Ansem. Sora was never a math person throughout high school, so naturally, he felt completely alone and hopeless in that class, but if it weren't for Riku's patience and kindness, he probably would have repeated Calculus I about three more times before _finally_ getting it right.

In hindsight, it was one act.

One act of kindness that he, to this day, is still grateful for.

Would he have liked it if Riku had just left him in that pitiful hole of despair? Certainly not. And back then, Riku was patient with him for an entire _semester_.

All Sora had to do was say _hi_.

The younger man groans and slumps his shoulders.

He knows what he has to do.

* * *

When the two boys enter the flower shop, Kairi is nowhere in sight, much to Sora's relief. But before he can express this relief with a long sigh, he sees his mother walk out of the back room.

If there was one word that could describe Aerith Fair, it was beautiful. With her clear glowing skin, healthy brown hair, bright green eyes, and kind, spirited soul to match, she became a breath of fresh air in what Sora liked to call the borderline of Twilight Town's slums. She had all the features and qualities of a loving mother, and unfortunately for Sora, that also included "lecture mom".

She approaches him with crossed arms and a frown–a look that does not suit her gentle appearance. He can tell by the confidence and urgency in her steps that she has been waiting for this Monday in particular.

"Hi mommy," he says sweetly, hoping to dispel any tension in the air.

Aerith looks up at her son, who is at least half a head taller than she is, and pokes him right in the chest. Sora winces in pain.

"Don't you 'hi mommy' me," she says in a hushed, but angry tone. Riku snickers and watches with amusement from the cashier register.

"Sora Gainsborough Fair," she begins sternly. She executes his full name with perfect annunciation, austerity, and clarity: the trifecta of _oh shit_.

"Last week, I interviewed a lovely girl by the name of Kairi Hart," his mother begins, pacing the shop with her arms placed behind her back. "Throughout her interview, I was looking through her resume, and when I looked at her address, I found something very interesting."

Sora gulps. He knows where this is going. He looks at Riku for back up, but the older man merely leans against the edge of the counter and shakes his head with an entertained smirk.

"It is the same address that belongs to my youngest son," she continues. "So I asked her if my son was treating her properly, and do you know what she told me?"

Sora raises his hands over his chest defensively and waits for the painful truth.

"She told me that my son seemed like a very nice young man," Aerith says carefully.

Sora lowers his hands and looks at his mother in shock. Did he hear that right? Did Kairi seriously lie on his behalf to keep him from trouble?

Sora turns to see his best friend giving him the '_do you feel like an ass now?_' look.

"I was overjoyed to hear that," Aerith continues, "So overjoyed to hear that my youngest son was being hospitable to a newcomer, but all that proved to be a lie when Roxas and Naminé visited me last Monday."

Sora looks into the narrowed eyes of his mother and cowers in fear.

"Naminé, Kairi's cousin and _best friend_, told me that you haven't even uttered _one word _to Ms. Hart since she moved in!" Aerith exclaims furiously. She begins to poke her son in the chest repeatedly, ensuring a bruise. "Sora Fair, you will apologize to that girl immediately and treat her with the proper respect she deserves. I did _not_ raise you to treat women like this. Your father would have been so disappointed in you."

Sora suddenly remembers his older brother Vanitas pushing him on the swing set of their backyard many years ago. Vanitas, who suddenly became preoccupied with a stray moogle, left a four-year-old Sora alone on the swing set. Sora recklessly swung himself forward with so much force that he ended up falling right on his back, knocking the air right out of his lungs.

This is how he feels now.

"The dad card? _Really_?" he asks incredulously.

Sora's father, Zack Fair, was the archetype of a perfect soldier and a loving father. He was a first-class SOLDIER that proudly died a hero when Sora was only five-years-old. Since then, both sets of twins became very protective of their fragile mother and did everything they could to help and please her. Their father may have been gone, but his appearance and personality continued to live on within each of them somehow –Sora, especially. In their hearts, their father's job in the world was complete, and they would continue his legacy in ways that they knew how.

How Sora was acting, however, disgraced his father's legacy and he knew this.

"Yes, really," his mother responds with her hands on her hips, but before she can continue to scold him, Kairi emerges from the back room with a bouquet of fresh roses in hand.

"Oh," she says, nearly dropping the flowers when she locks eyes with Sora. "Hi."

Riku elbows Sora in the gut and the brunet manages to croak out a hoarse "hi" before clutching his stomach in pain.

"Kairi!" Aerith exclaims, her mood immediately switching to an excited one to disguise her anger. She puts an arm around her son's shoulders and begins pinching his cheek. "Obviously you know my son, Sora, and this handsome young man here is his best friend, Riku," she says, gesturing to the older man by the cashier.

"We've met," Riku says with a grin. "Double cream, double sugar, right?"

Kairi nods with a slight blush. She is flattered that he actually remembers her order.

"Sora here was just paying his monthly visit," Aerith says, continuing to pinch her son's cheek as a loving gesture. As his mother continues to ramble on about the details of her sons' monthly visits, Sora uses this time to analyze the girl before him.

Now that he gets a good look at her, he realizes that she can't be any taller than 5'2. She is a tiny little thing, but with a hint of muscle –something Naminé never had. There are bags under her eyes and she looks like she is in desperate need of a salon day, but other than that, she looks well. He finds himself feeling relieved that she managed to find a job, but there is a hint of emptiness in her eyes that he can't quite explain. She does not look sad, but she does not look happy.

Sora cringes. It's like he's looking into his own eyes.

"… but Sora never likes coming to this part of town. He claims it's too ghetto for him," he hears his mother say when he tunes back in.

He openly gapes at her.

"Mom!" he cries. Didn't he seem assholic enough?

"No, it's true," she continues shamelessly. Kairi merely stifles her laughter by covering her mouth with the roses. "I think it's a shame, really. I happen to like this part of town. I get to see people and their everyday walks of life –all Sora ever sees up there is stuck up rich people driven by time."

Sora merely rolls his eyes while Riku and Kairi nod in understanding and agreement. He escapes from his mother's embrace –headlock, really—and rubs his aching cheek.

"Okay, mom, I think that's enough," he insists.

"You're right, you're right," she admits as she glances at her watch. "You know what, I think we should close the shop early tonight."

Kairi looks startled. "Are you sure, Mrs. Fair? I can still put in some orders, or arrange more bouquets in the greenhouse-"

"No, dear, I think we're done for today," Aerith insists as she takes one last glance at the shop. "You did wonderfully today. Get your things from the back room and I'll start closing up."

Kairi bows respectfully in gratitude before scurrying into the back room to gather her things.

The instant her new employee is out of earshot, Aerith sends her son another look.

"Well, are you going to drive that girl home?" she asks. Sora knows her tone well enough to know that this is not actually a question. It is a demand.

Before Sora can respond, Kairi walks back into the shop with a grey cardigan in one hand and a small bag in the other.

"Thank you so much for everything, Mrs. Fair," she says gratefully.

"You're very welcome. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning!" Aerith says with verve. She then elbows her son discreetly.

Sora groans and looks at everything_ but_ his housemate. "S-so, Kairi…" He comes to realize that this is the first time he's said her name out loud. "How do you plan on getting home?"

"I take the subway," she answers swiftly.

Sora shivers in disgust. To him, the subway is a hellhole; a center for disease; a gum-infested wasteland. It is a merciless, dog eat dog world down there. People will not hesitate to make you feel uncomfortable or shove you out of the way. It was not a place for tiny little things like Kairi.

From his peripheral vision, his mother is giving him _the look_. He squirms under her piercing gaze.

"Would you like a ride home?" he finally blurts out.

Kairi blinks twice. Even Riku can see the surprise in her eyes.

"Um, that would be great, actually," she says while rubbing her elbow anxiously. It's starting to get rather dark outside and she did not want to travel alone on her first day.

"Okay," Sora says, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Okay," she repeats.

Sora clears his throat and turns to his best friend. "What about you, Riku? Need a ride home?"

Riku sees the desperation in Sora's eyes and nearly laughs. His best friend is now putty in his hands.

"Nah," he says, and he immediately senses Sora's discomfort. "I think I'll take the subway home."

Sora growls as Riku shares a quick hug with his mother.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Fair," he says, and she waves at him one last time before he calmly exits the flower shop with his hands in his pockets.

Sora and Kairi both share individual hugs with Aerith before leaving the shop in an awkward silence. Sora leads his housemate to his car outside and is about to walk to his side of the car when he feels his mother's eyes on him. He gulps and slowly turns to see her staring him down from the doorway. He sighs and walks over to Kairi's side to open the door for her.

"Thank you," she says as she enters the vehicle. He hops into his side and sighs as he presses his back into the leather seat. He hears Kairi let out a low whistle beside him.

"Nice car," she says.

"Thanks," he says.

They bask in an awkward silence afterward. From his peripheral vision, he sees Kairi twiddling her thumbs anxiously. He looks down at his own hands. He surprises even himself when he realizes that they're shaking.

His father's smiling face suddenly flashes into his head for a brief moment.

He sighs.

"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you for the last few months," he confesses, and for some reason it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off his chest. "It was very immature and inconsiderate of me. I apologize. Having a housemate just overwhelmed me."

"It's okay," Kairi says. She's smiling. "I understand."

Silence takes over once again, but it's not as awkward as before.

Sora suddenly begins to shake his head and chuckles. They're acting like teenagers.

"Hey, can we just forget all of this and start over?" he suggests with hopeful eyes.

Kairi's smile widens. It looks as if a beacon of hope has been lit right before her very eyes.

"I'd like that," she admits as she tucks some claret hair behind her left ear.

Sora offers his hand to her in a welcoming gesture. "Sora Fair."

She accepts it almost instantly. "Kairi Hart."

* * *

**Well, that was certainly a lot longer than I expected. As of now, the word count slightly exceeded 5000 words! I considered splitting this chapter into two, but decided against it. Hope that was a smart decision.**

**Special thanks to **codeninjathe, SoraxKairi7 **and** Amulet Misty **for reviewing the last chapter and to those who put this story on alert! Also, thank you to the people who have this story favourited already. I'm glad you're thoroughly enjoying it so early. I'm sorry for any grammar errors, please kindly leave a review to tell me what you think, and I'll get started on chapter five!**


	5. Chapter 5

**five**

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_The die lands on five._

_Move up five spaces._

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Sora wakes up to the smell of crepes the following day.

He checks his alarm clock and reads 6:30AM. He groans and rolls out of bed to get ready for the day. After going through his normal morning routine in the bathroom, Sora lazily returns to his room to get dressed. He pulls on a pair of beige chinos, buttons up a maroon coloured dress shirt, ties a skinny black tie, and throws on a navy blue blazer outlined in a thin layer of white overtop. After briefly checking his appearance in the mirror and walking through a wall of cologne that he sprays for himself, Sora makes his way to the kitchen.

The aroma of the delicious crepes strengthens with each step he takes and intrigues him even more. He finally reaches the kitchen and finds Kairi cooking by the stove, dressed comfortably in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants –an outfit that _clearly_ distinguishes her from her cousin.

"Good morning," his housemate greets with verve.

"Morning," he returns groggily.

"I hope you like crepes for breakfast," she says while spreading the batter evenly on a frying pan. Sora tries to hold back his drool as he walks over to the coffee maker.

"I don't normally eat breakfast, so anything will suffice," he confesses sheepishly.

Kairi begins waving her spatula at him with her jaw agape. "That's terrible! Breakfast is-"

"-the most important meal of the day," he finishes. "I know. How do you like your coffee?"

"Double cream, double sugar," she answers while finishing off the last of the crepes.

"Why are you up so early?" Sora suddenly asks while pouring their coffee into two separate mugs. He knows that his mother's shop doesn't open until nine, and it's only six forty-five.

His housemate merely shrugs. "Early riser, I guess. Why are you up so early?"

"I always get up this early for work," Sora answers while pouring a generous amount of sugar into both their mugs.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly is it that you do?" Kairi asks, noting his business casual attire.

Sora tries not to lick his lips as Kairi spreads Nutella over their breakfast. "I uh, I work as a weapons specialist for Caelum Industries. I demonstrate weapons to different military divisions galaxy wide."

Kairi's eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. Caelum Industries, owned by Naminé's father, Noctis Caelum, was not _a_ large and successful industry, but _the_ large and successful industry that dedicated itself to improving New Twilight's technology and the daily lives of its consumers. To work for them meant you were brilliant, creative by nature, and had a high degree of professionalism.

_No wonder Sora's rich,_ Kairi thinks.

"What about you, Kairi? You seem like a whiz in the kitchen. Are you a chef or something, or have you always wanted to work in a flower shop?" he asks while bringing their freshly made coffee over to the counter.

Kairi almost laughs as she slices a banana. "No, but your mother is such a lovely and passionate person. I admire how much she loves her job, but botany isn't really my thing. I'm more into the art of writing. I just finished studying Journalism in the University of Radiant Garden a few months ago."

"Oh, so you're a writer," Sora observes. He recalls Riku mentioning something like that a few weeks ago.

"Hoping to be," Kairi corrects as she squirts chocolate syrup over their Nutella banana crepes in a zigzag fashion.

"What kind?" Sora asks as he stirs his coffee mug for good measure.

"A travel journalist or a successful novelist, but the latter is a bit of a long shot," Kairi admits as she grabs utensils from a nearby drawer. She pushes Sora's plate towards him and he thanks her graciously.

"You need plenty of experience to become either one of those," he then says as he slices his crepe. "Working at _The Pink Ribbon_ isn't exactly going to cut it."

"I know," Kairi says as she sips her coffee. "But I have to start somewhere, right?"

"Mm," Sora agrees. He takes a bite out of his crepe and sighs in delight as the various flavours explode in his mouth and excite his taste buds.

Maybe having a housemate wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Sora exits the elevator with a smile on his face and a bounce to his step. If it weren't for his chauvinistic asshole reputation, other employees might have mistaken him for being in love.

"Well don't you look awfully chipper this morning," Riku points out when Sora walks into the empty meeting room _early_ for once. He can't help but notice that Sora's eyes looks brighter, his strides bouncier, and his cheeks fuller. This is not the same young man that walks into work with a stick up his ass every morning.

"Oh my goodness," Riku says when he realizes it. "You _ate breakfast_."

Sora takes the seat beside his albino-haired best friend, throws his hands behind his head, and puts his feet up on the large meeting desk.

"Nutella crepes with bananas and a touch of perfection," Sora says while kissing his thumb, index, and middle finger.

"I'm guessing Kairi cooked?" Riku guesses, because he's seen Sora cook before, and it's something he never wants to experience ever again.

"Yes, and I seriously don't know why that girl majored in Journalism when she _clearly_ has a knack for Hospitality and Tourism," Sora says. He closes his eyes as his taste buds attempt to remember what it was like to see the light.

"So I'm assuming that everything went smoothly after I left the shop yesterday?" Riku asks as he bites on the edge of his reading glasses.

"You could say that. We're not exactly best friends or anything, but we're civil towards each other. We decided to start over," Sora explains. Riku notes that his best friend seems pretty satisfied with himself and feels a smile tugging at his own lips.

Things were finally going to change.

"You better not be best friends," Riku then says jokingly. "'Cause if you are, I'm gonna have to tell that bitch to back dat ass up because that slot is _taken_."

Sora chuckles as he pulls out a folder from his bag. "Need I hold your weave, Riku?"

"I might just box a hoe," the older man says, playing along.

"Cut a bitch," Sora adds.

Riku shakes his head with a chuckle and puts on his thick-rimmed Ray bans to analyze some papers in front of him. "So, did you bring the blueprints I asked for?"

The moment is lost when Sora's smile immediately turns upside down. Riku slaps his forehead and sighs.

Just because Sora and his housemate were on speaking terms didn't mean that Sora's lack of organization would just miraculously disappear.

* * *

She angrily answers on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Kairi!" exclaims an enthusiastic and excited voice on the other line.

"Mom?" Kairi asks groggily, her initial anger washing away. She wipes her sleep-deprived eyes as she sits up on her bed.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. I didn't take the time difference into account," Mrs. Hart says guiltily. "I just wanted to know how my baby was doing in the big city. You haven't checked in with us in a while."

"Sorry," Kairi says hoarsely as she adjusts her cell phone. "It's just been busy."

"Should I let you go back to sleep?" her mom asks worriedly. "Do you have work in the morning?"

"Yes," Kairi answers, and she hears her mother's excited squeal on the other end. "But I don't mind talking for a bit. How are you, mom?"

"Oh, same old, same old," Mrs. Hart replies. "What about you, Kairi? How are _you _doing? Are you okay there? Do you have a place to stay? What's your job like? Do you like it there? Because if not, you're always welcome to come ba-"

"I'm okay," Kairi interrupts. "Thanks for asking. I currently work at a flower shop, which isn't much at the moment, but it's a good place to start in such a large city. I'll work my way up."

"And your home?" her mom pries. "Is it adequate?"

"Yes, I live in a loft," Kairi answers tiredly. She briefly checks the time on her alarm clock: two thirty-seven in the morning.

"A loft," her mom repeats, impressed. "I'm guessing you have a housemate? Those can get very expensive in the city."

"It is, but I do have a housemate to help me out."

"I certainly hope it's a girl!" she hears her father say in the background. "You know how we feel about you living alone with a male acquaintance!"

"U-uh…" Kairi thinks fast. "Yes, yes, I do live with a girl. Her name is uh…" Sorina? Kairi then slaps her forehead. That sounded so stupid. "Xion. Her name is Xion. She's really nice. She's a writer, too."

"Well, she sounds lovely," says her mother. "But overall, are you happy, dear? Do you like where you are?"

Kairi feels a smile tugging at her lips as she thinks about her breakfast conversations with Sora. They aren't much, but they're _something_.

"Things are… getting better," she admits carefully. Kairi suddenly stiffens when she hears something. She gulps and presses her ear to the wall that separates her room from Sora's as her mom rambles on about how happy she is for her baby girl.

On the other side of the wall, Kairi hears excruciatingly loud moaning –so loud, in fact, that it begins to seep through the walls and into her own room.

"Kairi, what's that sound? Static in the background?" her mother asks innocently.

"Nothing, mom," Kairi says immediately. She then fakes a yawn. "Well, uh, I'm super tired, and I have to get up early for work tomorrow, so I'll talk to you soon mom!" Kairi says hastily as the moans grow louder.

"Okay, take care dear! I look forward to-"

_Beeeeeeeeep._

Kairi throws her head back and sighs in exasperation as the moans eventually come to an end. This is precisely why she does not like being disturbed in the middle of the night. It wasn't like Sora was going to be more courteous just because they were on speaking terms. They weren't _friends_ or anything, but the term _housemates_ should at least mean _something _to him, right?

Five minutes pass and the house is silent save for the shutting of the front door and a few giggles. Kairi then takes this opportunity to trudge to her door with clenched fists.

"Sora," she says as she opens the door hastily. "Can you _please_ tone down your-" She freezes when she realizes that he is standing right in front of her –shirtless, she may add, and the view is certainly nice.

He suddenly snickers and crosses his arms. "Nice pajamas."

When Kairi wills herself to stop staring at his toned chest, she looks him in the eye but cannot keep a confident composure. She mentally curses at herself. This was getting downright ridiculous. She hides her chocobo pajamas in embarrassment and keeps her chin up.

"We need to talk," she says, but her voice comes out a little shakier than she'd like.

"Sorry," Sora says, but she can tell by his confident smirk that he does not mean it. "Did I disturb you?"

"_Yes_," she answers, her voice laced with venom. "So can you please quiet down next time?" She knows there will be a next time, and a time after that, and after that, and after that…

She inwardly groans. Jesus, take the wheel.

Sora merely shrugs as he makes his way back to his room. "My bad," he says teasingly. "I can't help it that I'm just that good in bed."

Kairi's jaw drops open as the door shuts behind him.

"_Just give him a chance," Xion pleads. "I promise you that his friendship is worth it. It may not seem like it right now, but it will be."_

Kairi scratches the back of her head and frowns. Xion better be right.

* * *

Sora concludes that Kairi is an interesting little thing with a hint of crazy.

In the span of a month, he subconsciously manages to pick up many odd quirks about her, and it isn't because he _cares_ –he's just got nothing else to observe in those moments (or so he claims).

Firstly, Kairi is a morning person. She also likes Nutella and crepes. There is not one breakfast where they don't indulge in the creamy hazelnut goodness that is Nutella, or the awesomeness that is the crepe. She is in a particularly good mood if they have both.

Second, she likes to sing along to the hold music when she's paying her bills via telephone. He knows for a fact that her favourite song is Utada's "Simple and Clean", because every time it comes on, she claims that it's her "lady jam" before going off, and when Sora says off, he means _off_.

Third, she is amazing at Marvel versus Capcom. The girl knows how to mash her buttons in an orderly fashion.

Fourth, she wears a lot of oversized clothing outside of work. Sora is highly convinced that her closet only consists of sweatpants, hoodies, and t-shirts that are three times her size.

Fifth, she likes to drink Cinnamon Heart tea when she's feeling down or stressed, which he secretly knows is quite often.

Sixth, she likes listening to modern music on vinyl records not because her little record player _sounds_ better, but because she merely likes the_ idea_ of a record.

Lastly, she likes to read paperback books because she wants to _feel_ the words.

In a city that embraces technological advancement, the girl likes to listen to records and read paperback books. If that isn't bat shit crazy, then Sora doesn't know what is.

"You're late," his mother points out on the last Monday of September.

"I know," Sora groans, leaning over to hug his mother over the cashier register. "Something came up at work and the rain slowed me down."

"I find that highly unlikely," his mother says with an accusing eyebrow raise. "I think you just lost track of time since Riku wasn't in today."

Sora huffs and turns the other way. "So what if I did? I'm here, aren't I?" He quickly glances at the empty flower shop. "Where's Kairi?"

Aerith grins at her son's slightly concerned expression.

"She just left about five minutes ago. I let her leave early. Didn't want her walking home alone in the dark with the heavy rain," she explains. "How are you two?"

"Better," Sora answers, leaning against the counter for support. "We talk, but we're not insanely close or anything. We play video games together sometimes, but we're not on a personal level yet. We're far from what we were a month ago, though."

"Yeah?" Aerith asks, smiling as she looks through the orders that Kairi wrote down earlier. "She's a lovely girl, you know. I can tell that she doesn't really enjoy working with plants, but what she lacks in passion, she makes up for in organization, creativity, and determination. She reads during her breaks and I can tell that she has a very special relationship with words. She's also very punctual. She always shows up on time and greets the day with a smile."

"What are you getting at?" Sora asks, because he knows his mother holds an ulterior motive with her words. She is the type to see the good in people (something that rubbed off on him), but she does not promote them with this much effort unless she has something up her sleeve.

"She would make a great assistant," Aerith points out bluntly.

Sora stares daggers at his mother with his jaw agape. "I, what, um, excuse me?" he stammers. "What makes you think I need an assistant? I am perfectly capable handling everything myself!"

"Honey," Aerith begins softly. "You know I love you and mean no offense but… you show up late to every one of our monthly meetings unless Riku accompanies you, you count on poor little Xion to clean your house, you forget to bring a lot of things, and I bet all of these bad habits reflect on your job performance as well."

"I haven't forgotten anything today!" Sora claims defensively.

"Did you bring the tea I asked for?" Aerith asks, testing him.

Sora slaps his forehead and briefly recalls his mother asking him for Jasmine tea no more than fifteen minutes ago. He shakes his head in shame. He no longer has a valid argument in his defense.

"Sora, Kairi is the perfect candidate for the job," his mother insists. "Not only does she have the right skill set, but she's sweet and passionate. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that she wants to be a writer, and you and I both know that working at a flower shop in the lower district of Twilight Town isn't enough for her resume. A job in Caelum Industries, however, is a different story."

"Mom-" Sora starts.

"Just consider it," she interrupts hastily. "Put your pride aside and just consider it. That's all I ask of you. Please."

Sora groans and gives in to his mother's puppy dog eyes and slight pout. She smiles warmly and pulls him into another hug across the counter.

"I love you," she says as he pulls away.

"Love you too, mom," Sora says, and he genuinely means it. "Take care, okay? I'll see you next month."

"That you shall," she says, and just as her son is about to walk out the door, she calls him back. "Oh, and honey, can you please tell Vanitas to get a haircut? He could really use one. His hair is a lot shaggier than usual."

Sora chuckles one last time before nodding in understanding. He quickly runs into his car to get away from the rain and speeds down the streets of the lower district.

As he slows down to stop at a red light, something red on the sidewalk catches his eye. When the wipers of his car clear his vision, he realizes that the red spot on the sidewalk is _hair_ –wet, red hair. The shaggy, wet, red hair that belongs to no one else but Kairi.

She walks with haste, unease, and no umbrella. She is soaked from head to toe, and even from their current distance, Sora can make out the faint outlines of Kairi's bright pink bra underneath her white golf shirt. He gulps and directs his gaze to her retreating figure overall. She is surprisingly curvier than he thought –then again, it was almost impossible to tell under her large shirts and loose pants.

Her hair, now a thin, wet mess that cascades down her shoulders like a waterfall, suits her a lot better when straight and shiny in Sora's opinion. He allows himself a few more seconds of staring until it becomes full out stalking and slowly finds himself growing fond of her hair colour. Not only is it unique, but apart from her odd little quirks, it is one of the few things that separate her from Naminé.

A honk from behind him suddenly distracts Sora from his thoughts.

He looks up. The light is green. When did that happen?

Another honk.

Sora curses under his breath and slowly hits the gas pedal. "I'm going, I'm going, sheesh." The car behind him illegally overtakes him, and to Sora, this is a reminder: a reminder that the lower district sucks all kinds of ass.

He is now driving right beside Kairi, who still fails to notice him. Her eyes are set on the subway station no more than two blocks away, but Sora thinks that there is _no way_ that Kairi is even _thinking _of getting on the subway when she looks like _that_. The thought of vile men ogling the breasts of such an innocent little thing underground makes him shiver in disgust. At least when he ogles breasts, the women are actually willing to get something going, and the feeling is mutual.

He sighs and rolls down the windows down on the passenger's side just as Kairi is about to walk down the steps of Wayfinder subway station.

"Kairi!" he calls out, and she immediately looks up, wide-eyed and alarmed. Her eyes land on a familiar red Bugatti, and Sora catches her chest heave as she sighs in relief. His cheeks grow hot and he briefly wonders what he has gotten himself into.

Kairi enters the car, soaking wet with her pink bra and all. Sora is secretly thankful that his car has leather seats.

"Thanks, Sora," she says breathlessly.

"No umbrella?" Sora asks as he steps on the gas pedal.

"It broke two minutes in," Kairi says through chattering teeth.

Sora chuckles. "You couldn't have stopped somewhere and waited it out?"

"I figured the station wasn't too far," Kairi answers as she rubs her arms.

"Uh-huh," Sora says amusedly. "And how long were you out there?"

"A while," Kairi mumbles shakily.

A smirk makes its way onto Sora's lips. "That's what I thought."

He then notices her shivering beside him and turns up the heat. She finally relaxes after a few stops and leans against the seat in satisfaction. Sora suddenly feels the need to pull on the collar of his white dress shirt when he sees her chest heaving as she breathes beside him. She is much more… _developed_ than he originally thought.

Sora's heart suddenly starts to beat five times faster.

_Did I seriously just think that?_ he asks himself. With each passing beat, he unknowingly presses down on the gas pedal with more force.

"S-Sora," Kairi suddenly stammers. "Aren't you g-going a little f-fast?"

"Am I?" Sora asks. He looks out the window and sees that he is indeed speeding down the streets of the lower district. He shrugs. The sooner they get home, the better. The less chest heaving involved, all the more better. "Sorry, I didn't notice."

He changes lanes so fast that Kairi feels herself consistently ramming against the side of the car.

"Sorry," Sora apologizes, but Kairi can tell by his eyes that he enjoys the thrill.

Admittedly, she does too. The faster he goes, the more evident her smile gets, but the moment is gone as soon as it comes.

Kairi's smile turns upside down when she hears the sirens wailing behind them.

"Shit," Sora curses, but he doesn't look worried at all. In fact, he speeds up even more and faces the danger with a smile.

"What are you doing?" Kairi practically screams.

"Put your head back," Sora commands. He presses down on the gas even harder and begins to dodge other vehicles simultaneously.

"You're going to get your license suspended!" Kairi warns as she obeys Sora's orders.

"Don't worry," he says as he winks and speeds away from the police car. Kairi feels as though her heart could actually beat out of her chest. She would dare channel this energy to nervousness, but since she should trust her housemate, she uses it to build her thrill fire.

She can see their residence building just up ahead, but instead of slowing down in the parking lot, Sora immediately parks the car by simply drifting into a vacant parking space. Kairi feels her hair cascade down her shoulders and oxygen rush into her lungs once again. Sora merely chuckles.

"You find this funny?" Kairi asks in disbelief.

"Oh, I really do," Sora giggles. Kairi finds out why when the police officer approaches them from the side.

"That," the officer begins sternly. He removes his sunglasses and hat to reveal that he is a gruff, middle-aged police officer. "-was impressive. You beat me again, Sora! Good job!" The officer chuckles heartily and claps Sora on the back.

"Thanks Officer Villiers. You just need to practice more," Sora jokes.

"Yeah, I'll get you next time." The muscular man then turns his sights to Kairi. "And who's this lovely lady? Finally get yourself a girlfriend, Sora?"

"No," Sora answers almost immediately. Kairi could only blush at the assumption, but she blames her rosy cheeks on the cold weather instead.

"This is Kairi Hart, my uh… friend," Sora introduces carefully. He notices Kairi flinch next to him. "Kairi, this is Officer Snow Villiers, a very valuable customer of Caelum Industries." She shakes his large hand when he offers it.

"Ah, you're Caelum's cousin," the officer remembers. "Liking the city so far?"

Kairi nods. "I'm getting used to it."

"That's good," Snow says. He then turns to Sora with a grin. "Well I better get going. Thanks for the race," Snow teases. "Nice to meet you, Kairi."

"Likewise," she replies as he leaves. When the police car is out of sight, Sora gets out of the Bugatti and opens the door for a pale looking Kairi on the other side.

"Are you okay?" Sora asks with a teasing smile, but it disappears when he sees Kairi's expression. She looks confused, dizzy, sick even.

Sora's eyes widen.

Sick.

She'd been out in the rain for too long, and his driving probably did nothing but overwhelm her even more.

"Um, yeah, I'm just a little… shocked," Kairi says weakly. She tries to get out of the car, but her legs are so wobbly that she trips the instant her foot makes contact with the paved surface. She falls into Sora's awaiting arms, her back against his chest. She is unusually warm under his touch despite her cold, wet clothing.

"Kairi? Kairi!" Sora exclaims, inconsiderately shaking her. "Can you hear me?"

Sora blushes as a group of people stare at him attentively until they reach the elevator. He curses under his breath and continues to shake the now unconscious girl in his arms.

"Damn it, Kairi," he says under his breath. He locks the car doors, sighs in dismay, and effortlessly throws the limp girl over his right shoulder.

He desperately tries to ignore the stares he gets in the lobby.

* * *

Kairi wakes to the sound of metal clanking in the kitchen.

When her vision clears, she examines her surroundings and discovers that she is in her room. She furrows her brows. She does not remember how she got back to her room. She recalls walking in the unfortunate rain, hitching a ride from Sora, being a part of a car chase, then falling into…

No.

She gasps, sits up hastily, and much to her chagrin, realizes that she has a headache. Her hand flies to her head, which feels unusually warm. She begins to feel her cheeks, her neck, her arms… she groans.

She's sick.

The door opens, and Kairi comes across a sight that she_ never_ thought she would see in her lifetime: Sora with a tray of food and a somewhat sympathetic expression on his face.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asks as he sets the tray down on her nightstand and takes a seat on the edge of her bed.

Kairi blinks twice. She has never heard his voice sound so soft.

"Uh… kind of sick," she admits hoarsely. "What happened? How did I get back here?" Her eyes widen when her hands land on her lap. Her _dry_ lap. She is no longer soaking wet in her work uniform. Instead, she is in one of her old university hoodies and sweatpants. She gasps and covers herself even more with her floral bed sheets.

"Pervert!" she immediately declares.

Sora raises his hands in surrender. "Whoa, Kairi, chill. I'll admit that I am a bit of a pervert-"

"_A bit_?" she asks incredulously.

"–but I did not change your clothes. If I did, you'd be in something a lot more chic than that horrendous ensemble." Kairi twitches upon hearing this. There was the Sora she knew. "Xion changed you. I carried you up here and asked her for help when you passed out in the parking lot."

"Oh." Kairi begins to twiddle her thumbs. That was understandable. "Well, thank you. Where did Xion go?"

Sora moves his head towards the door. "She just left." He then takes the tray from her nightstand and places it on her lap. "Now eat up. You'll need it."

Kairi looks down at the tray and examines her selections: a glass of water, some crackers, a small bottle of Advil for her headache, and a hot bowl of chocobo noodle soup. She takes a spoonful of the soup and sighs in delight at the warm sensation that overcomes her.

"Good?" Sora asks.

Kairi nods. "Mhm. Can you call Xion for me, please?"

Sora raises a curious eyebrow in her direction. "Why?"

"I just want to thank her for the soup," Kairi says timidly.

"Actually," Sora starts, looking up at the ceiling to conceal his blush, "I made that."

Kairi nearly chokes on the spoonful of soup in her mouth. Sora, the guy who consistently brings home women to _play_ with, does something _nice_ for one? That certainly didn't add up.

She wipes her mouth and hopes that Sora didn't notice her initial shock. When she turns to look at him, he's still looking up at the ceiling. He is either really good at hiding his suspicions or he is just the most oblivious person she has ever come across.

They spend the next few minutes in silence, with Kairi eating her soup Sora keeping his gaze on the ceiling. From his peripheral vision, he watches Kairi finish her food.

She nibbles on her crackers with the emptiness of a kicked puppy. Her shoulders are slumped, her hair is a frizzy mess, and her eyes are not as vibrant as they could be. She looks physically and mentally weak. Her kind does not survive long in New Twilight. How did a little thing like her wind up in the big city?

"What are you doing here?" he suddenly asks. He covers his mouth in shock. He did not mean to say that aloud. "I'm sorry."

Kairi looks up and surprisingly smiles at him. She speaks with grace, but does not answer his question directly.

"Back with Officer Villiers, you called me your friend," she says, and Sora feels his cheeks growing hot again. He had only said that to avoid calling her his housemate. Snow would've gotten suspicious. "So, friend," she continues, "We've been living together for four months, yet I know nothing about you."

"You do know me," Sora says, looking away once again.

"No, I really don't," Kairi insists. "I only know that you work for Caelum Industries and are a total womanizer."

Sora turns around and sends her a toothy grin. "Then you're pretty much set, aren't you?"

"No," Kairi says, and her housemate groans. "There is more to you than that." She looks down at her empty bowl of soup as proof.

Sora crosses his arms. Why did she seem hell bent on getting to know him? "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Something, anything," she says while breaking a cracker in half.

_Gee, that's helpful,_ Sora thinks. He wracks his brain for some sort of answer but only manages to point out the blatantly obvious. "Uh, my name's Sora, I'm twenty-four, I have blue eyes and my… hair… is… brown…"

He sighs tiredly. This is precisely why he rarely talks to the lady friends he brings home.

Kairi almost laughs. "Okay, thanks for that. What do you… like to eat?" she offers.

Sora scratches the back of his head. He is not used to having conversations like this with people other than business associates. "I like to eat… food?"

Kairi stifles her laughter and shakes her head. "You don't do this often, do you?"

"What about you?" Sora asks, changing the topic with raised eyebrows. "What are you like?"

Kairi finishes chewing before responding. "You really want to know?"

_Not really_, Sora inwardly admits, but he plays along for the sake of it. "Briefly."

Kairi merely shrugs. "I guess I'm… just a fragile little thing who falls too fast and puts her faith in the wrong people."

Sora freezes and sits there, reflecting on what Kairi had just said. As she opens the bottle of Advil, he can't help but wonder why she would openly admit something like that. He certainly wouldn't.

Perhaps that's why she left home: to run away from her past heartbreaks. She did say that she fell too fast and put her faith in the wrong people, so that was the only reasonable conclusion he could come to. She is one of the self-pitying heartbroken searching for a new beginning.

He cringes. That was certainly familiar.

"Well, I'm going to get more sleep if you don't mind," Kairi suddenly says. She outstretches her arms and yawns.

"Yeah, good idea," Sora agrees, getting off her bed. He takes the empty tray from her lap and heads for the door. His fingers just touch the doorknob when she calls him again. "Yes?" he asks, turning to face her.

"Thank you," she says with a smile.

Sora finds himself reciprocating her smile. "You're welcome."

* * *

"Aww, that's sweet," Xion says as she sits back in her seat in satisfaction. The following day, she and Sora decided to meet up at The Usual Spot for their annual monthly talks over coffee.

"I heated up a can of soup and added water to it. How exactly is that sweet?" Sora asks while finishing the last of his French vanilla.

"Well, you've never done that with any other girl before," Xion points out. "You usually just hit it and quit it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're being _friendly_."

Sora looks out the window in silence. It hits Xion when he deliberately avoids her gaze.

"You spoke to Naminé, didn't you?" It is more of a statement than a question.

Sora leans his chin against his palm and shuts his eyes.

"_So how are you and Kairi?"_

"_We're, uh… we're talking now."_

"_Are you?" He can practically see her beaming at him with those adorable doll-like eyes. "That's great."_

"_Yeah. She seems nice."_

"_I told you she was! Oh, this is wonderful. I'm so glad you two are getting along." Sora's heart flutters at how happy she sounds on the other line. It gives him hope. "I would be so grateful if you two became friends. She could really use more, Sora."_

"So what if I did?" Sora mumbles when he returns to reality.

Xion merely shakes her head as she stirs her cup of steaming caramel pudding. "It's nothing. Have you considered giving her a job as your assistant?"

Sora raises a suspicious eyebrow. "Have you been talking to my mom?"

"Have you been considering it?" Xion repeats.

Sora sighs and throws his head back. "I don't know yet, okay? I've never had an assistant, and I've never needed one before."

"You need one, Sora. Stop being so prideful and admit it," Xion says sternly. Normally Sora would have been taken aback by her insult, but he reminds himself that there are only a select few that can talk to him with such audacity, and one of them is Xion. "You and I both know she needs that job. I told Kairi that in order to become a successful writer, she needs a job that will make her stand out. They won't take her without one."

"A job that will make her stand out?" Sora repeats, tasting the words. "It's like you're telling her to go into prostitution."

"Sora," Xion warns. "Come on. You're always down to help people when you can. What makes this girl any different?"

"She _lives_ with me," Sora says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"So?"

"If something goes wrong, it won't end well."

"Can you _stop_?" Xion says, gently slamming her fist down on the table. "You're being such a child, Sora. Can you stop thinking of what will go wrong and think of what can go right? And even if you do disagree, you can deal with it like adults. You don't have to shut her out. She doesn't intend to hurt you. She just wants to start over, Sora. Let her do that. You and I were there once. You know how it feels."

Sora rubs his temples in annoyance because he _knows_ Xion is probably right as usual. "Fine, _fine_. I'll do it."

"For whose sake?" Xion asks, testing him. "It better not be for Naminé's. Giving her cousin a job won't make her take you back."

Sora's hand flies to his chest protectively as he turns away.

"I know," he says through gritted teeth. "I know." He gets up and storms away wordlessly.

Xion bites her lip, hangs her head low, and mindlessly stirs her drink. "Do you, Sora?" she whispers skeptically as she watches her friend's retreating figure. "Do you really?"

* * *

When Kairi is well enough to go back to work, Sora decides to pay her a visit on Friday. He parks his car in the same spot –in between two run down cars with fading paint jobs—and gets out with a tired sigh. He throws his hands into the pockets of his black sports coat and makes his way to the entrance of the flower shop.

Before he opens the door, he sees Kairi enter the shop through the back door with a handful of yellow flowers in hand. Since she is a tiny little thing, she cannot see above or below what she is carrying, so she trips over one of the flowers that has fallen to the floor and squeaks as she loses her grip on the bouquets. She falls forward with eyes closed; bracing herself for the impact, but it never comes.

Before she wills herself to open her eyes, a familiar scent fills her nostrils.

Cologne.

Sora's cologne, to be specific.

She opens her eyes and notices that she has fallen straight into his chest. She looks up, only to lock eyes with his. Yellow petals fall around them at a tranquil pace, and Kairi can't help but blush at their close proximity.

Sora clears his throat and releases her wrists from his grasp. She speaks up as he helps her pick the flowers off of the floor.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. He gives her a look. "N-not that I mind, but… it's not the last Monday of the month."

He picks up a few more flowers before responding.

"Do you know what kind of flowers these are?" he decides to ask.

"Um… daffodils?" Kairi answers carefully. Was it a trick question?

"Yes, they're daffodils," Sora confirms. He remembers growing up with every possible flower in the shop –he knows everything there is to know about each and every one of them, so these daffodils must have been some sort of sign. "Do you know the meaning of daffodils?"

"Um…" Kairi wracks her brain for an answer but one does not come. Not many people bought daffodils at this time of year, so she never saw the need to memorize its meaning. "No, I'm afraid I don't."

"Daffodils are often associated with spring," Sora says as he gets up and dusts his pants. "And because they are virtually synonymous with spring, they are often given meanings like rebirth," Sora explains as he presents one of the flowers to her. He takes a deep breath before saying his next line.

"It also means new beginnings."

Kairi looks up at him from the ground with a curious expression. After blinking a few times in silence, Sora offers her his hand and helps her up. The sound of Naminé's joyful voice echoes in his head one last time before he looks Kairi dead in the eyes.

"Kairi, how would you feel about working as my assistant?"

**tbc**

* * *

**Goodness gracious, that was a long chapter. I'm sorry it took awhile to get out, too. I am confidently putting the blame on the countless times I have watched The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I am a diehard LOTR fan (in fact I'm watching The Fellowship right now haha) and I fell in love with the second installment of the Hobbit. So many feels in that movie. Like, I can't even. **

**Special thanks to **Wildgirl404, Satoshi T, cutekitty5597, SoraxKairi7** and **Amulet Misty** for reviewing the last chapter! Thank you to those who favourited and put this story on alert as well. I am so glad at the amount of progress this story has made in such a short amount of time!**

**I hope you enjoyed the fifth installment of D&L. I was about to cut it in half again, but a friend of mine suggested that I quicken the pace, which I finally agreed to. Who wouldn't want more SoKai? **

**Please kindly leave a review to tell me what you think, I'm sorry for any errors that I've missed, and I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as I can! I plan on weekly updates at the latest if I can. **


	6. Chapter 6

**six**

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_The die lands on six._

_Move up six spaces._

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Kairi stands in the middle of the patio feeling like a freak on display.

She watches uncomfortably as Sora and another woman circle her with calculating expressions. Sora stops directly behind Kairi and taps his chin. It almost looks as if he's checking out her ass. After a few minutes, he seems to nod in approval, and Kairi turns beet red.

The female, Selphie Tilmitt, is a dainty young lady with a cute seventies hairstyle and a caramel ombre that fades to a blonde colour at the tips. She is dressed in a stylish yellow chiffon top, a thin black belt that accentuates her curves, a thin blue chiffon scarf, beige short shorts, and high-heeled sandals. Kairi briefly remembers Sora introducing her as his friend, but most importantly, as one of the youngest stylists for _Belle_: New Twilight's hottest fashion magazine.

"You have really nice legs," Selphie suddenly says. Kairi looks up to find her smiling directly at her. She must be twenty-two at the oldest, which means only one thing: she was hella good at what she did. "Did you run in high school?" she then asks.

"Erm, I swam," Kairi answers with unease. "I also played a bit of… volleyball…"

Selphie nods and continues to circle her like a vulture deciding how to eat its prey. Kairi eventually grows impatient with the silence and turns to Sora with a pained expression.

"What is going on?" she groans. She is starting to wonder why he forced her to stand in the middle of a giant chessboard in the patio of their residence building.

"We're giving you a makeover," Sora answers simply.

"_What_?" Kairi exclaims. "W-why? What's wrong with me?" she asks defensively.

"Nothing is wrong with you," Selphie answers before Sora has the chance to come up with some snide remark. "You're adorable. It's just, well hun, you're going to be working for Caelum Industries now. Your jeggings and crocs aren't going to cut it. Your style needs to represent the grandeur of the company."

"And you're going to need all the help you can get," Sora snorts.

"Sora!" Selphie scolds. "Be nice."

"Whatever, just let me make my point," he says. He then looks at Kairi with fierce determination. "Do you see what you're standing on?"

"A chessboard," Kairi says, pointing out the blatantly obvious. They had been playing on it for about an hour before Selphie arrived.

"Yes," Sora confirms as he walks past a plastic knight that is about half his height. "It's a game; a game with rules, patterns, and strategies that will help you win. It's a lot like love, you see. If you play all the right moves in all the right places…" Sora proceeds in checkmating Kairi's king from their previous game.

"You'll win."

Kairi blinks twice as Sora's gaze pierces right through her.

He knows.

He understands.

"After today, things are going to change," Sora says while placing his hands behind his back. "I'm going to make you see that love is just a game; that love is easy. When I'm through with you, you'll never have to cry over a guy ever again."

It suddenly hits Kairi in that moment that at some point in his life, Sora was exactly like her. He wasn't always a lecherous asshole: he was lost and heartbroken once. They had something in common, and it was something very crucial.

"Sora," Selphie says tiredly.

Sora merely raises his hands in surrender and walks towards the swimming pool to dip his toes in. When he is out of earshot, Selphie turns to Kairi with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry about him. He used to be much better at expressing his kindness," Selphie says.

Kairi shrugs. "It's okay. I'm used to it."

"It's not his intention to make you feel bad or anything," the stylist continues. "The goal of this makeover isn't to make you look completely different. It's to make you look the best that you can be –to enhance your features and to make you feel better about yourself."

Kairi crinkles her nose in doubt. That didn't sound very Sora-esque. "How do you know this?"

"Because I taught him the same thing two years ago when I helped him," she answers almost immediately.

Then she does something that takes Kairi aback.

She smiles, but it isn't a typical smile. It is the kind of smile that shines with pure intentions; the kind that makes you feel welcome and believed in. Kairi suddenly knows that she can trust Selphie, and that whatever she does is for the best.

"Of course, Sora would never ask, but are you comfortable with this?" Selphie then asks. "Because if you're not, I could always talk to him about it-"

"I'll do it," Kairi says. Not for Sora, but for herself.

"Are you sure?" Selphie asks.

Kairi nods with certainty. "I'm sure."

* * *

New Twilight mall has a very clear, very simple hierarchy.

The first floor is for the rich: those who simply bought things that made them _seem_ like they were rich. The prices of the second, third, and fourth floor increased in equal intervals, but the fifth floor, which is the highest, is for the _rich_: those who were actually _that_ rich. It was home to the kind of stores that Kairi didn't dare enter back in Radiant Garden. The very _air_ surrounding them smelt expensive.

So of course, it came as a shock to Kairi that Sora and Selphie did not leave the fifth floor.

She knew they were well off, but this? This was ludicrous.

"You'll need this. Oh, definitely this, this blazer here, and this skirt here…"

Kairi groans as she helplessly tries to keep up with Selphie who has been walking ahead of her for the past two hours, throwing racks upon racks of clothing into her arms. The newcomer can hardly see above the pile of office wear that Selphie has thrust into her arms from Fleuret Couture: the high-end fashion brand owned by Naminé's mother, Stella Fleuret Caelum. She'd received gifts from her aunt before, but she had only worn them to special occasions, where they were worthy enough to be worn.

Kairi squeaks when Selphie throws a skirt—a piece of cloth, really—on top of the pile.

"Selphie, that's too short!" the redhead whines. Her eyes widen in terror when Selphie adds a thin blouse to the pile. "And that's nearly transparent!"

"Don't be so modest, Kairi," Selphie says nonchalantly, "I'm not trying to make you look slutty. We're going for professional, but fun. I want you to have a colourful palette; a variety of colours and designs to choose from. Besides, you have a nice body. I don't see the point in trying to hide it with your hoodies and whatnot."

"They're _comfortable_," Kairi retorts, red faced and insecure.

"But they don't fit the standards of the company," Selphie reminds, but it is not executed with the same harshness that she gets from Sora. "I understand their level of comfort. You can wear them all you want at home, but not during office hours, so please give these new clothes a chance. We want you to feel good about that body of yours, right Sora?"

"Mhmm," he says, his eyes not leaving his smart phone. He takes a sip from the paopu smoothie he has in his opposite hand and knits his eyebrows in concentration. Judging by the sounds coming from his phone, he's playing Flappy Chocobo, and judging by the look on his face, he just lost.

Kairi stifles her laughter. "I thought games were easy, Sora. Like love."

"There are exceptions," Sora mutters, clearly annoyed. "And this game is one of them. It's impossible."

"Okay, I think that's about it for clothing," Selphie suddenly says while rubbing her hands together in satisfaction. Kairi sighs in relief as Selphie calls out Sora's name. He wordlessly tosses her his wallet and goes back to playing his Flappy Chocobo in the corner.

"After this, we'll head to the beauty department to get you some makeup," Selphie informs as she swipes Sora's card across the debit machine. "Then after that, we'll go to this great salon I know down the street for manicures, pedicures, possibly a haircut (Kairi gulps at this), and more beauty products –all at Sora's expense, of course."

"Oh, I-I can pay for that," Kairi says timidly. Sora had invested way too much money for a measly assistant.

"Don't worry about it," Selphie assures. "The boy's got enough money to last time a lifetime –maybe two."

Kairi looks at the young man by the doorway. He is no longer playing with his phone, but gazing up at the ceiling made of glass with his arms crossed. He has all the money he could ever want, yet he looks dissatisfied.

This is a young man who appears confident on the outside, but hides turmoil on the inside. This is a young man that is stuck; a young man that is missing something.

Sora catches her gaze and holds it. His lips curve into a half smile, and she returns it sympathetically.

* * *

Kairi once again feels like a freak on display when she is seated in the middle of the salon down the street.

Sora, Selphie, and now her hair stylist, Demyx, look at her reflection on the mirror while rubbing their chins curiously. Demyx, a fit young man with a stylish dirty blond mullet, takes a piece of Kairi's hair and examines it. He bites his lip anxiously when he witnesses the dryness of her hair up close. Her hair is too thick, shaggy, and frizzy for her bone structure. She is in dire need of a haircut, because it is clear that she hasn't had one in a while.

"I'll thin out your hair and add some layers, but we're going to need to trim the ends a bit," he concludes. Kairi nods in understanding. "You'll also have to use certain products for health maintenance."

"But you don't need to change the colour, right?" Sora suddenly asks. Selphie looks at him with a perplexed expression. She has never heard him sound so concerned about such a small matter.

"No," Demyx answers with a sly grin. Selphie is not the only one who senses his concern. "The colour is lovely. Is your natural hair colour this red?" he asks Kairi. She nods timidly. "It's gorgeous. I won't change a thing about it –it's distinctively you."

Sora's sigh of relief does not go buy unnoticed.

Half an hour later, Kairi finds herself sitting on a comfortable reclining chair with her hands and feet soaking in warm water. A lady to her left is filing the nails on her left hand, and to her right, Sora sits impatiently with his arms crossed on a stool.

"You know, I may not be an expert on all this, but I think guys can get manicures too," she says. The lady to her left agrees with a wink.

Sora merely scoffs. "No thanks. The very _air_ in this area is emasculating me."

"So what are you going to do for the next hour or so?" Kairi asks.

"Teach you," Sora says, turning to face her.

"Teach me?" Kairi repeats.

"Yes," he confirms, and gets straight to the point. "Like games, love also has rules, patterns, and strategies."

Kairi disagrees. "But it's not that simple."

"Oh, but it can be," Sora says, noticing the skeptical look on her face. He crosses his arms and holds his chin up high. "What are you going to tell me? That love isn't a game? That that view is cruel, unrealistic, and unromantic? Well this is real life, Kairi. Love isn't like it is in the movies or the John Green and Nicholas Sparks books. It is cold, unforgiving, and brings nothing but trouble."

Kairi can't help but think of the way Hayner gazes at Olette from the cash register at the Usual Spot. She voices this, and Sora immediately shuts her down.

"Infatuation," he reasons.

Kairi places her hands on her hips, much to the dismay of her manicurist. "Really? Infatuation? They're _married_. I'm sure it's much more than infatuation at this point."

Sora merely shrugs. "That's not always the case."

Kairi shakes her head disbelievingly. She learns that Sora is not only a narcissist, but a pessimist as well. Was it really her sweet cousin Naminé that did this to him, or was there another woman? Whoever it was took their toll on his head.

Sora sighs. "We're all just fools who like the idea of love; the idea of something that doesn't exist."

_And I was the biggest fool of them all_, he thinks. "The best we can do is attain pleasure while we still can."

"Sora," Kairi whispers. She almost reaches out to him in sympathy.

"Love _is_ a game," Sora insists, standing his ground, "because if it wasn't, then why do those who cheat and play fair exist?"

He looks at her with an almost desperate look. It is not a cry for help, but a plead for her to listen. Without any words, he is able to admit that he wants to help her in his own way. He doesn't want her to be like he once was. Partly because she feels bad for him and mostly because she is curious about his views and character, Kairi allows him to proceed.

Sora clears his throat. "As I was saying, love is a game that contains strategies that will help you emerge victorious."

"But what defines victory?" Kairi asks, and Sora finds himself at a loss for words.

"Um," he scratches the back of his head and wracks his brain for an answer. "I guess… you're victorious when you're happy," he decides with a shrug. Kairi nods as if accepting his answer, but she looks as if she is not entirely convinced that he is happy himself. He shakes off the thought –he is overanalyzing her facial expressions. "Anyways, um, the first rule is this: love yourself."

Kairi chuckles. "That sounds so narcissistic."

"But it is essential," Sora deadpans. "If you don't love yourself first, then who will? Respect yourself, and those who are willing will follow. My guess is that you were the type to get your heart broken by plenty of guys because you let them walk all over you –is that correct?"

Kairi's eyes widen as she bites her lip. "Um, that's-"

Sora raises a hand to interrupt her. "Say no more. I already know by the way you slump your shoulders and walk with small, unsure steps."

Kairi sits back in her reclining chair. Was she making things _that_ obvious, or could Sora empathize with her to a greater extent than she originally thought? Perhaps it was a mixture of the former and the latter.

"In every relationship, you must _never ever_ let the other person bring you down. Do not let them make you feel unimportant. Always tell yourself that you are more than enough, that you deserve better. This will be your mindset, understand?"

Kairi nods slowly as if taking mental notes.

"To avoid being the one that gets hurt, remain evasive, but dominant," Sora continues. "Never get too attached –remember, you deserve better. The less attached you are, the easier it will be for you to let go. You know better than anyone that the pain of attachment isn't worth it. Make sure that the guy wants you more than you want him. For example, picture me at a strip club." Kairi winces at this. "I _never _pay for the girl. I make her want to come to me. Get it? Do not be easy. You want this guy to fall to his knees."

Kairi bites her lip and twiddles her thumbs. "But how do I even get his attention?"

Sora proceeds in telling Kairi that young men in the upper district like certain things, and he begins to explain every maneuver that Kairi should follow in order to make them fall head over heels for her. Kairi merely nods every few minutes in response. It seemed a little out there and ridiculous, but would it really work? Would it put her in a better position? Kairi mentally chuckles at her last thought. _Anything _would be better than her current position. She couldn't afford to be picky.

Minutes later Selphie returns with a handful of bottles and boxes in hand.

"Hey Kairi, enjoying yourself so far?" she asks, perky as ever. Kairi nods. "These are some products I highly recommend," the stylist then says while gesturing to the products in her arms. "This hair straightener is the best I've ever used, this cleanser will help even and brighten up your face, this moisturizer does wonders for softening the skin, and this oil will keep your hair healthy and give it a natural sheen. It's all the way from Agrabah, you know. It's great."

"Thank you, Selphie," Kairi says, memorizing each product and its purpose. She'd used similar products before, but surely not as well made and expensive.

"It's also very important that you give yourself time to be pampered every now and then, so I want Sora to take you here at least once every month, okay?" Selphie orders softly.

"What?" Sora asks incredulously.

"Yes, girls are slightly more high maintenance than boys when it comes to these things. Don't tell me you're surprised," Selphie says while putting her hands on her hips. Sora inwardly groans. The things women went through for beauty was utterly ridiculous.

"Kairi, it's time to style your hair," Demyx says from his workstation. He spins his chair ninety degrees in order to face it towards Kairi excitedly. She gets up, removes the towel that has been wrapped around her head in a turban like fashion, and takes her seat in the chair. As Demyx runs his hands through her wet, red locks and examines it under his touch, Selphie catches Sora watching them from the corner of his eye.

"You know," she starts, and Sora turns his attention to the stylist almost immediately. "I have a good feeling about her."

Sora scoffs. "Yeah, we'll see."

* * *

The following morning, Sora does_ not_ have a good feeling about his new assistant.

He quickly glances at his watch and taps his foot impatiently against the paved surface of the parking lot. She is already late. They were supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago. They were going to be _late_ for being _early_. What kind of "help" could Selphie offer in the morning that could take this long? She had been with Kairi for nearly an hour and a half that morning.

Sora briefly considers leaving her behind until he hears the elevator doors open. Out walks Selphie and a young woman that looks so different but so familiar at the same time. The makeup on her face is minimal, but enough to enhance her natural features and make them stand out. Her hair, now thinned out, layered, and straight, cascades down her shoulders like a soft, smooth waterfall. She is dressed in a pink button up, a stylish navy blue blazer that hugs her figure well, red heels, and a beige pencil skirt that goes more than slightly above her knees.

Sora gulps. Were skirts allowed to go that high in the workplace?

She walks towards him with uncomfortable strides as she is still trying to get used to wearing heels. She eventually makes it to the car, but she trips and falls straight into his chest once again. He balances her by grabbing her wrists and blushing in embarrassment while doing so. Behind her, Selphie is giving him a sly smirk. He scowls at her and straightens Kairi so that she regains the ability to walk.

She then clears her throat and looks at him with a hopeful smile.

"Well?" she asks, her eyes sparkling. Now that he gets a good look at them, he notices that they are different from _hers_ after all. Kairi's eyes are blue, but not glassy. They contain flecks of purple within them: a promise of something fresh, different, and exciting. Sora finds himself turning away with tinted cheeks.

"You're late," is all he says, and he gets in the car without another word.

**tbc**

* * *

**Sorry for the late update! School is quickly catching up with me. Any who, did anyone catch that Flappy Bird reference? That game is insane. At first I didn't even know what to do, so when the bird fell flat on its face I was kind of just like "what is this witchcraft"?**

**So, Sora's opinions get a little too narcissistic, don't they? I am well aware that he and Kairi (more so Sora) are slightly off character, but there are reasons for that. Here I wanted to portray Selphie as more than just a typical girly girl. As you can probably tell, she knows her shit!**

**Special thanks to** Naivette, Sleight of Hand, Crush-Chan17, SoraxKairi7, cutekitty5597, applebear, Evil Dark Knight, Wildgirl404, **and** codeninjathe **for reviewing the last chapter! I am so grateful for the amount of reviews, faves, and alerts that I'm getting at such an early stage! Thanks so much for your support everyone! It means a lot. Also, the pending playlist for Dusks and Ladders is on my profile page if you'd like to check that out. It is meant only for inspiration and a better view at my vision. It is in no way permanent –ultimately, you make the final call on how you want to see this story.**

**I hope you enjoyed the sixth installment of D&L. I'll have the next chapter on as soon as I can! Sorry for any grammar or spelling errors that I may have missed!**


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